WYCHAVON District Council voted to freeze its share of the council tax for Droitwich, Evesham and Pershore residents for the seventh time in nine years at its annual budget meeting on February 25.
It means the average Band D household will continue to pay just £128.21 a year – less than £2.47-a-week for the services Wychavon provides, such as parks, public toilets, refuse collections, business support and housing help.
As part of the budget, councillors have agreed to invest £5million into a ‘We Are Wychavon Support Fund’ to deliver a package of grants, free and discounted services over the next two years. The funding will help people stay active, boost business growth, support young people, improve connectivity and protect the environment
A total of £400,000 will be put into a new community grants scheme and up to £4million will be spent on decarbonising leisure centres in Pershore and Evesham – energy-efficiency measures are being installed at Droitwich Leisure Centre as part of the current upgrade.
The council will also provide £872,000 to support the local economy, including £412,000 for new Growth and Rural Grants to continue supporting small and medium-sized businesses.
There will be £100,000 for community energy efficiency and biodiversity projects and £3.7million extra to deliver day-to-day services.
Wychavon said it built on major regeneration projects, including upgrades to leisure facilities in Droitwich Spa and the redevelopment of the Riverside Shopping Centre site in Evesham.
While Wychavon’s share of council tax is frozen, the overall bill residents receive will go up as it includes increases from Worcestershire County Council, West Mercia Police, Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service and parish/town councils.
