In 1974 the council was abolished when Worcestershire and neighbouring Herefordshire were merged to form a new county called Hereford and Worcester.

Elected county councils were created in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888, taking over many administrative functions which had previously been performed by unelected magistrates at the quarter sessions.

It ceded territory in the north-east to Birmingham on several occasions, and the complicated boundaries in the south with Gloucestershire and Warwickshire were simplified in the 1930s.

District-level services are provided by the six district councils: Much of the county is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.

The first elections to the re-established Worcesteshire County Council were held in 1997, initially operating as a shadow authority until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1998.

Cabinet members work closely with the directors and professional officers of the council to ensure the successful implementation of the decisions they make.

[21] County Buildings was built alongside Shire Hall in 1930 to house the council's administrative offices.