WORCESTER City Council is proposing several measures which will help it meet budget pressures and set a balanced budget for 2026/27.
Proposed measures include a five per cent increase to prices in the car parks the Council owns and operates, and the introduction of charges at Diglis Playing Fields and Waterworks Road car parks.
The latter proposal will be put out to public consultation.
The Council is also proposing to introduce a charge for the replacement of black bins, with the fee being waived in some circumstances.
This fee would be £39 per bin, but would be reduced to £29 for any residents who receive Council Tax Support.
Worcester City Council is legally required to set a balanced budget for 2026/27.
These proposals will discussed by the Council’s place and economic development committee on January 27 and its environment committees the following day.
Councillor Karen Lewing, vice-chair of the environment committee, said: “The City Council needs to meet pressures during the next financial year. We have looked at ways of balancing our books, while ensuring that we protect the services that Worcester people value.
“Car parking charges are a very significant source of income for the Council, but before 2023 they had not increased in 14 years.
“Small increases over the last few years has helped us to meet the increasing cost of maintaining our car parks. The City Council car parks continue to be competitively priced and comparable to those in towns and cities of a similar size.
“Meanwhile, the proposal to charge for replacement black bins, if approved, will include many circumstances where residents will not need to pay, including a bin being vandalised or stolen.”
Introducing car parking charges at Diglis Playing Fields and Waterworks Road car parks would bring them in line with other ‘Green Zone’ car parks including Pitchcroft, Tallow Hill, Tybridge Street and Croft Road.
The City Council’s paid-for car parks have all received the prestigious national Park Mark award, in recognition of their high levels of cleanliness and security, including lighting and CCTV.
The car parks at Diglis Playing Fields and Waterworks Road are also proposed to be brought up to the same standard.
