Worcester City councillors have approved a £12.26 million net budget for 2022-23, including a range of initiatives to boost the city's economy as the recovery from the Covid pandemic picks up pace.
Major initiatives to regenerate parts of the city centre, new play and community facilities, and celebrations of the Platinum Jubilee and the Commonwealth Games will all be supported by the 2022-23 budget, which will also ensure that essential services from bin collections to support for the homeless can continue to be delivered.
The budget includes a small rise in the City Council's element of residents' Council Tax bills.
Councillor Marc Bayliss, Leader of the City Council, said: "The measures in this budget will make a lasting impact on the quality of life for people in Worcester, and also support our city's economy as we emerge from the pandemic. I am proud that we have achieved this while also keeping Council Tax as low as possible, in recognition of the cost of living pressures that people are facing."
This year the Council is working on improvements and projects which will invest more than £1 million in the city.
- £200,000 to install more electric vehicle charging points in car parks
- £100,000 to create a new play area off Cotswold Way in Warndon, with environmental enhancements
- £30,000 to help the city's communities celebrate The Queen's Platinum Jubilee
- £30,000 for celebrations of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games
- £48,000 to support biodiversity in the city
- £60,000 to build a new BMX pump track in St Peter's
- £140,000 to create a new community facility area in the Comer Gardens Institute
- £80,000 to further improve street-cleaning in the city
- £10,000 for a campaign to combat drink-spiking
- £47,000 for improved landscaping at Perdiswell
- £45,000 to support Worcester Foodbank
- £10,000 for a new cricket pitch
- £40,000 to support Worcester's Citizen's Advice Bureau
- £100,000 to boost the take-up of walking and cycling by employing a dedicated active travel officer
The budget will also support the delivery of major investment initiatives supported by over £40 million from three central Government schemes – the Towns Fund, the Future High Street Fund, and the Cultural Development Fund.
These are bringing major improvements to Worcester, including the revival of the Scala Theatre in Angel Place and the regeneration of the surrounding area, the development of the Severn Centre for Health and Wellbeing in Hylton Road, and the revitalisation of The Arches – Worcester as a new cultural destination.
Council Tax
The City Council's element of Council Tax will increase by around 1p a day, as permitted by the Government, giving an annual rise of £5.00 for a band D property.
The increase in the City Council's element of residents' Council Tax bills for each property band is:
- Band A - £3.33
- Band B - £3.89
- Band C - £4.44
- Band D - £5.00
- Band E - £6.11
- Band F - £7.22
- Band G - £8.33
- Band H - £10.00
