THE government needs to do more to underline the importance and relevance of councillors, the Communities Secretary has said as dozens of seats across Worcestershire will go uncontested next week.

Speaking at Unity House, Worcester Muslim Welfare Association’s community centre in Stanley Road in a brief visit to the city on Thursday (April 25), Communities Secretary James Brokenshire said the government needed to do more to "underline" the importance and relevance of councillors but said it was "difficult" to point out why some seats were going uncontested.

Whilst not an issue in Worcester, several districts in neighbouring Wychavon and a couple in Malvern will go uncontested next week.

He said" It's important that people do feel that connection to their local council and actually having that community representation."

Mr Brokenshire met with leaders of the city’s Muslim community and Conservative councillors Cllr Allah Ditta who is fighting to be re-elected in the city council’s Cathedral ward, Cllr Steve Mackay who is looking to be elected in St Peter’s and leader of the council Cllr Marc Bayliss who is standing for re-election in Bedwardine at next Thursday’s (May 2) election as well as chairman of the council’s communities committee Cllr James Stanley.

The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government said he recognised the pressures county council’s have faced and would face in the future – particularly with the increasing cost of social care – but could not confirm that funds from the government to local councils would increase in the future.

Mr Brokenshire said the government’s funding settlement for next year showed a “real terms” increase in the money available to councils and he had “heard the call” by council leaders for extra social care money.