Worcester News
The latest Worcester news: planning decisions, council and crime updates, business and community stories, each linked back to its official source.
Top story
Worcester County Hall for Sale: 153 Homes, Bids by 12 Nov
The 16.6-acre County Hall site on Spetchley Road is on the market. Council planners have backed 153 homes in principle, and offers close at noon on 12 November.
More stories
Nightlife
Worcester Keeps Purple Flag for a Fifth Year Running
Worcester has kept its Purple Flag for safe nights out for a fifth year in a row. What assessors praised, and when the Safe Space van is on the streets to help.
Food hygiene
Worcester Food Hygiene: Four Shops Rated 1, None at Zero
Four Worcester shops hold a 1 and nobody holds a zero. Of September's 18 new ratings, 13 were 5s. The full list, and what each inspection found.
Pensions
Burnham's Triple Lock Plan: Kept to 2030, Then Changed
The triple lock stays for this Parliament and changes from April 2030, the Prime Minister said. What he promised, what is undecided, and Worcester's 18,293 over-65s.
Worcestershire
Bromsgrove's Claire Field Wins Resolution Innovation Award
Claire Field, founder of the Bromsgrove-based Parenting Apart Programme, won the Resolution Innovation Award 2026 at Church House, Westminster, on 24 September.
Roads
Swinesherd Way crash: cyclist in his 60s dies on A4440
A cyclist in his 60s died after a collision with a car on the A4440 Swinesherd Way on Friday night. Police want witnesses and dashcam footage, ref 574i.
Travel
M5 Crash Near Worcester: Three Men Taken to Hospital
Two men have potentially serious injuries after a multi-vehicle crash on the M5 southbound near junction 7 this morning. What the ambulance service said.
Sport
Worcester Half Marathon: Two World Records and the Times
A Worcester mother and her three sons cut 1hr 41min off a world record, and a radio producer ran it presenting live. The official chip times for both.
Planning
Battenhall Farm Worcester: 180 homes, then a supermarket
The same 5.05 hectare field off Whittington Road was screened for up to 180 homes in June, then for a supermarket, a care home and 70 homes in August.
Housing
Worcester house prices July 2026: up £298 in a year
The average Worcester home was worth £251,221 in July 2026, £298 more than a year earlier. Malvern Hills rose 5.5% over the same year. City flats fell 2.8%.
Arts
Daisy Ridley Judges Worcester Film Festival's 25 Awards
Daisy Ridley and Jessica Henwick are guest judges for Worcester's 25 film awards, decided at the Swan Theatre on Saturday. Tickets are £15 or £45.
Council
Worcester's £1.3m Rough Sleeping Grant: £251,038 Is Confirmed
Worcester's £1.3m rough sleeping award is £251,038 this year. The other £1,075,299 is provisional, and the city holds every pound of capital in Worcestershire.
Council
Worcester Noise Complaints: City Centre Second in the County
Worcester's city centre logged 11 noise complaints in three months, 1.48 per 1,000 people and second highest in Worcestershire. Five city areas make the list.
Transport
Worcester Cycling Ban: Council Votes for a 10am-6pm Review
Councillors voted on Tuesday to ask the county to examine letting cycles through the 11 banned streets, after the 12-month trial condition was stripped out.
Council
Worcester City Council Abolition Paused: Parish Plan Delayed
Worcester's 2028 abolition is on hold under a government review. Consultation on a new City of Worcester Council now opens 29 October, not 1 October.
Arts
Monet in Worcester: Reflections Opens, £4.50 for Residents
A Monet and National Gallery loans are at Worcester City Art Gallery until 3 January. Adults pay £6.50, Worcester residents £4.50 and under-16s go free.
Crime
Worcester Murder Accused Dies in Custody at HMP Hewell
Pawel Jezierski, charged with murdering Damian Buczek on Wylds Lane, died at HMP Hewell on 9 September. An Ombudsman inquiry and a jury inquest now follow.
Planning
Worcester Planning Committee Decided 23 of 426 Cases
Officers made 95% of Worcester's planning decisions last year and the committee refused none. Councillors vote on Tuesday on rules that narrow it further.
Schools
New Worcester Secondary School Dropped: 45 Places Instead
The county scrapped the 600-place Newtown Road school and has 45 of the 90 places needed by 2029. City councillors voted on 15 September to demand one west of the Severn.
Council
Worcester Taxi Fares Frozen: 15 September Rise Scrapped
Councillors voted unanimously on 7 September to abandon the increase. The flag fare stays at £4.30 by day and £5.50 at night, and no new date has been set.
Council
Kays and Brickfields Crossings Closed: £100 Fine to Use
Two Worcester footpaths shut to everyone since 4 September. Using either crossing is now an offence with a £100 fine, and challenges close 29 September.
Transport
Worcester Cycling Plan: £88m of Schemes and No Funding
New Street, Charles Street and Edgar Street would lose cars under the council's 15-year plan. It prices 13 Worcester schemes at £88m, with no money attached.
Council
Worcester Taxi Fares Delayed: Drivers Voted 67-2 Against
The £5 flag fare did not start on 20 August. Two objections stopped it, and councillors are asked on Monday to bring it in from 15 September instead.
Council
Worcester Air Quality: The Butts Still Over the NO2 Limit
The Butts measured 41.8µg/m3 of nitrogen dioxide in 2025, the only Worcester site still over the legal limit at a home. The whole city is a management area.
What's On
Scala Worcester Needs £1.5m More, Opening Now June 2027
Councillors are asked on Tuesday to add £1.5m, taking the city's Scala bill past £6m. The arts centre will not open to the public until June 2027.
Local Info
Worcester Cattlemarket: 28 Spaces Go to SEND School
Councillors vote on Tuesday on a 125-year lease of part of Cattlemarket Car Park, for a new sixth form for SEND pupils at St Dunstan's on The Butts.
Planning
Worcester Sixth Form College: 4-Storey Extension Approved
Six new classrooms and 36 toilet cubicles were approved on 13 August under 26/00070/FUL. The college has 1,800 students and a consented cap of 2,020.
Travel
Worcester City Runs Road Closures: 5am to 4pm, 13 Sept
Croft Road and Grandstand Road shut from 5am, the city centre and Worcester Bridge from 8am. Two car parks close from Friday night. Full list and times.
Council
Worcester Taxi Fares Due to Rise Today: £5 Flag Fare
The new table takes effect from 20 August if no objections stood. Both tariffs rise: £4.30 to £5.00 by day, £5.50 to £6.40 at night and on Sundays.
Heritage
Worcester Cathedral Tours: 6 Autumn Dates, From £10
Six expert-led tours run from 14 September to 20 October, £10 or £20, each starting at midday. They accompany the repair of two storm-hit tower pinnacles.
Consumer
Worcester post delays: Royal Mail missed its 93% target
Royal Mail delivered 75.7% of first class post next day against a 93% target, and Ofcom is investigating. What Worcester's MP put on the record, and how to claim.
Planning
Worcester planning: councillor call-in ends 31 October
From 31 October a Worcester councillor can no longer send a planning application to committee. The council's own report sets out what replaces it, and your 10 days to act.
Council
Worcester taxi fares: £5 flag fare proposed, up from £4.30
Worcester's daytime taxi flag fare would rise from £4.30 to £5.00, taking a two-mile trip to £7.60. What the council's own papers show, and your right to object.
Education
University of Worcester named UK's best for graduate jobs
The University of Worcester is Daily Mail University Guide's University of the Year for Graduate Jobs 2027, announced on results day. What the government data behind it measures.