Hereford City Council

Twinned with Dillenburg, Germany & Vierzon, France

31^st March 1998: Hereford City Council, together with the other District Councils within Herefordshire, amalgamated to form The County of Herefordshire District Council.

Herefordshire Unitary Authority comprises 137 Parish Councils, which include Bromyard Town, Kington Town, Ledbury Town, Leominster Town, Ross – On – Wye, plus the City of Hereford Charter Trustees

.The responsibilities of the Trustees were to care for the City Charters, Plate and Silver and to carry out the Civic/Ceremonial and the Mayoralty functions; All assets that were previously held by Hereford City Council, with the exception of the City Charters, Silver, Plate and the Mayoral car, were transferred to the Unitary Authority at 1^st April 1998.

1^st April 2000: The City of Hereford Charter Trustees was given Parish status.

This came rather quicker than was expected and, due to the imminent start of a new financial year, the Unitary Authority decided on the initial precept required. The only assets returned to Hereford City (to date) have been the Allotments within the City. The new Parish has a statutory right to administer these. The citizens of the City of Hereford now have the same representation as the other Parishes within Herefordshire. However the lack of assets require the Parish to precept for almost all of its income.

The City Council is the parish authority for the City of Hereford. With a population approaching 50,000 (within the nine wards of the City) it is one of the largest parishes in Britain. It’s annual expenditure, however, is below £500,000; This is the de-minimus level, above which Best Value regulations come into operation. Administration under Best Value is very costly (estimated at £20,000-£30,000) and, while adhering to the principles of BV, it is hoped to keep expenditure below the de-minimus level. For comparison purposes the City of Lichfield, also a parish council, with a population of almost 30,000 has an annual expenditure of over £600,000; It also holds assets such as Parks & Open Spaces (12 acres), various Civic buildings, and Allotments – all of which supplement it’s income.

Hereford City Council plays a role in representing the voice of the City. The Council is enabled to make representations regarding, for example, the Local Plan and Structure Plan, Planning proposals and services affecting the City. The City Council has representation on the City Centre Forum Partnership. The City Council can, at times, have different views from the District Council. However the City Council prefers partnership in projects with the Unitary Authority, rather than confrontation, while maintaining the Council’s role in seeking to ensure that the needs of the City are given due prominence.

[Home] [Municipal History] [Charters] [Coat of Arms] [Fairs] [Insignia & Plate] [Council History] [Chief Bailiffs] [Chief Stewards] [Mayors] [Town Clerks] [Freemen] [Freedom of  Entry] [Liveried Men] [Royal Visitors] [Recorders] [Processions] [Parish Council] [Mayoral] [Contacts] [CityGuide] [Links] [Parish Statistics] [City History] [Site Map] [maps] [Hereford Twinning Association] [Terms]