'SHOCKED' parish councillors have criticised an 'unnecessary election' that will cost taxpayers up to £9,000.

In an open letter Paul Walters, chairman of St Peter's Parish Council, criticises the 'unnecessary' parish election, due to take place in May 2024.

His letter, published in full on the parish council website, reads:  "On November 28, Worcester City Councillors voted overwhelmingly to impose an unnecessary election for St Peter’s Parish Council in May 2024 in order to synchronise with the city council elections due then.

"The chairman wrote to all city councillors in advance of the full council meeting, and addressed the meeting itself before the vote took place, setting out the cost impact upon residents and the fact that the parish council was only elected six months ago for a four-year term lasting until 2027.

The parish council had requested an extension to the current term of office by one year until 2028, which was an option offered by Worcester City Council in their consultation exercise. This would achieve synchronisation of Parish and City elections by 2028 and avoid the unnecessary expense of an additional parish election in 2024.

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"Not one city councillor voted in support of the parish council’s position.

"A contested election will cost £9,000 of St Peter’s residents’ money, as your parish council will have to fund the election.

"An uncontested election will still cost £1,000. These are significant sums within a parish budget of just £46K per annum and could have been used more constructively for the benefit of our community."

The letter goes on to say: "In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, and with all councils across the UK facing real economic difficulties, including Worcester City Council, it seems extraordinary that this decision has been taken.

"Your Parish Council is shocked by the position adopted by the Worcester City Councillors. There is no right of appeal."

A spokesperson for Worcester City Council said: "Both St Peter’s and Warndon parish councils requested Worcester City Council to review their election timetables in April 2023.

"This was in response to the city council’s decision to move its own election timetable from holding polls in three years out of four to running a single election once every four years from 2024. The two parish councils had previously run their elections on the same date as the City Council, to reduce their costs.

"The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 gives the City Council the power to change the cycle of parish council elections. Having received the requests in April, the city council ran a public consultation on the available options.

In its response, St Peter’s Parish Council backed option one, which was for current parish councillors to have their terms extended by one year and for elections to take place in May 2028, and then every four years. Warndon Parish Council supported option two, which would see current parish councillors only serve one year in post so that elections could be held in May 2024 and every four years after that."