FREEZING car parking charges and tackling illegal parking are part of a raft of proposals for Kidderminster, Stourport and Bewdley – but council tax could be set to go up.
Increasing litter picking in the tourist season and tackling environmental offences are also among the budget proposals Wyre Forest District Council’s Cabinet agreed at its meeting this week.
But the budget proposals include a three per cent rise in the district council’s share of the council tax.
People can now have their say on the plans before final budget proposals are drawn up.
At Band D, the mooted budget increase represents an additional £7.51 for the year, or 14p a week.
Most of the district’s householders would pay less than this, however, because almost three-quarters of homes in Wyre Forest are in Bands A to C.
More cultural events
As part of the council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy, the cabinet also proposed to bring more cultural events to the district’s towns.
Councillors claim the budget is being set against a challenging financial backdrop, but bosses say they remain committed to delivering a plan which is both affordable and aligned with its corporate plan priorities.
The Government funding for councils is due to be announced in December.
It is predicted Wyre Forest District Council will not be able to afford to commit to all the draft budget proposals and the public consultation will help shape what it focuses on.
Wyre Forest District Council leader, Coun Marcus Hart, said: “We won’t get the details of government funding until next month, but we don’t expect to be able to fund all the things we would like to.
“We are asking residents to spend a few minutes completing our online survey to let us know which proposals they would like and what they think about the proposals we’re putting forward.
“We’ve designed them to help us deliver on our corporate plan, but also with our financial situation in mind.
“As a council, we must set a balanced budget.
“We are finding efficiencies as well as increasing the income targets for our commercial services to help us achieve this.”
A short survey to gather feedback on the cabinet’s key proposals is now live on the council’s website.
Visit: wyreforestdc.gov.uk/consultations to take part.
The survey closes at 5pm on January 15, 2026.
The final proposals will go to full council at the annual budget setting meeting in February.
