Latest news with #LynnDenham
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Worcester City Council plans job cuts amid funding gap
Council workers are being made redundant as a council tries to plug a £970,000 funding engagement officers, who support volunteer groups across Worcester, are among the staff being let go by the city Local Democracy Reporting Service understands some members of the team are moving to other roles at the council and a reduced team will focus on community city council has declined to comment and has also not confirmed how many roles are being made redundant. The authority's 2025-26 budget, agreed in February, includes a plan to deliver £970,000 in savings over 12 months with savings to come from "grant switches, staff reductions and, where possible, increased income".The council's medium-term financial plan predicts a £3.6m deficit by 2030 but, by then, the city council may have merged into a unitary authority. At the budget meeting in February, council leader Lynn Denham said: "There's no longer enough money to do all the things we have to do and that Worcester residents would like us to do."It's important to the Labour administration that Worcester City Council is a good employer, that pays the living wage, that we have a funded discretionary welfare assistance scheme, that we tackle poor landlords and help vulnerable people." Bertie Ballinger, who works alongside community engagement officers as a volunteer and who stood in last year's city council election, for the Conservatives, said the development was "heartbreaking and aggravating", adding: "The community engagement team is the backbone of Worcester city's volunteer army."The city councillors who voted for this budget that meant these redundancies have to happen should be ashamed." Green Party councillor Tor Pingree was one of four city councillors to vote against the budget in said: "Councils across the country, including our city council, are facing a crisis. "We have been underfunded for many years now and we are having to make more cuts. Each year this gets more difficult and more devastating." This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
26-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Worcester Crematorium to close for nine months for refurbishment
Worcester Crematorium is set to close for nine months after plans for a major refurbishment were scheme will see three gas-powered cremators replaced with electric models, with the aim of making the site the "greenest crematorium" in the West is scheduled to start in August and is due to last for nine months, with the crematorium building closed but cemetery grounds remaining open throughout the were being made to allow funeral services to continue to be held in Worcester while the refurbishment was carried out, Worcester City Council said. Council leader Lynn Denham said the aim of the refurbishment was to make it an "even better place" to hold memories and honour the lives of loved ones."At the centre of the refurbishment will be the first electric cremators in the West Midlands," she explained."In fact, after Lambeth in London we will be only the second local authority-owned crematorium in the whole of the UK to make the move from gas to electricity."Planning permission for the scheme was granted by the local authority on the plans, the chapel would be refurbished with new furniture, fittings and council said the scheme also included a new heat recovery system and roof with solar panels, as well as electric charging points for vehicles and a chapel garden."Taken together, all these improvements mean that when it reopens next year, Worcester will have the greenest crematorium in the West Midlands," Denham project will also receive a £1.4m grant through the government's Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, which supports energy-efficient projects. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
19-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Scrapping Worcestershire councils would save £20m a year, report says
Scrapping Worcestershire's seven councils and replacing them with a single authority could save more than £20m a year, according to a study, by consultants PwC, also suggested an alternative option of splitting the county into two new unitary councils – north and south - could save £4.3m a are currently divided over the two options, after the government asked council leaders to produce proposals to merge the county's two-tier are required to produce a business case for changes by the end of November. Any new local authorities could be up and running as early as April 2028, following elections in May 2027. At present, Worcestershire has one county council, responsible for services including roads and social care, sitting above six district councils that run services such as bin collections and housing. "One Worcestershire council would be more effective and efficient," said Simon Geraghty, the Conservative leader of the county council, at a scrutiny meeting on the publication of Labour's devolution white paper, his administration commissioned consultants PwC to provide an independent review of the work, the Future Worcestershire Proposal, suggested moving to a single "unitary" authority could cost £11.9m in one-off costs, but save £20.6m a estimated another option, of splitting the historic county in two, would cost £16.9m, and save only £4.3m a consultants also said the proposed north and south councils would both face further financial challenges.A northern council, formed from Bromsgrove, Redditch and Wyre Forest would take a smaller share of council tax, but a higher proportion of deprived communities, for addition, demand for expensive services such as home-to-school transport and special educational needs provision would "disproportionately impact" a southern council formed of Worcester, Wychavon and Malvern Hills, consultants the report was criticised by Lynn Denham, the Labour leader of Worcester City Council, for containing too many assumptions and inaccuracies. At the moment, Worcestershire's political leaders appear deadlocked over which option is Worcestershire County Council and Wyre Forest District Council have argued a single unitary authority is the only option to meet the government's criteria, both Worcester City Council and Malvern Hills District Council have said they would prefer the county be split in other districts, Bromsgrove, Redditch and Wychavon, said both options needed further the scrutiny meeting, Conservative member Emma Marshall and Liberal Democrat Tom Wells questioned whether statutory services such as social care would take priority over things like arts funding, once councils were combined."Whether we end up with a model that is countywide, or north and south, is it not the case that districts' discretionary services are now at risk, to support the statutory services we are struggling to provide?" Wells protect services, Geraghty said any future local authority would learn from the best practice of other existing unitary councils across councillors in Worcestershire have until November to submit a business case for proposals to the government, any negotiations are likely to be interrupted by county council elections on 1 May. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X, and Instagram.
BBC News
03-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Praise for mural-filled city route to Worcester riverside
City centre visitors "will no longer be greeted by the old chicken shop" following the opening of new walkway, a council leader an "enticing route" will lead people to the riverside, Worcester City Council leader Lynn Denham added. The former Jaqk's takeaway on Foregate Street, next to the railway bridge, has been demolished to make way for the path that features bright-coloured murals and new route, part of the final phase of The Arches redevelopment project, was "more appealing and safer to use", the council said. Matt Griffin, owner of Bikes on the Drive which is located on the Arches, said the pathway was a "huge transformation". "It's been a bit of a nightmare with people often asking us for directions to get to places, but now they've made it open you can basically go from the river to the station at Foregate Street nice and easily."He added that the change would also help business."We've always had decent footfall but now they've opened up it's only going to get better". Resident Amanda Cartwright doubted the development when it was announced as "there was already an alleway adjacent", however now the pathway had opened she said she felt "much safer". "It's really open so as a young woman, especially with a young child, I'm happy about it because it's a lot more public than the old pathway." The project, which was primarily paid for by the government's Cultural Development Fund, also included five arches that had already been redeveloped to create new spaces for creative council added that proposals for the remaining two vacant arches would be announced soon. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Plans submitted for crematorium refurbishment
Plans for a major refurbishment of Worcester Crematorium have been submitted, with the aim of making it the greenest in the West Midlands. If approved, the scheme would see two electric cremators installed to replace three gas-powered ones. The plans also include a new roof and heat recovery system as well as charging points for electric cars. The measures would significantly reduce the site's carbon footprint, according to local authority bosses. Council leader Lynn Denham said all the energy used at the site would come from sustainable sources. "The electricity that drives the cremators will be from the city council's sustainable suppliers, and additional energy generated by the cremators will heat the building and its water," she said. "Improvements to the cemetery grounds will also bring a biodiversity net gain to a much-loved location that has already secured the prestigious Green Flag award. " The project is set to receive a £1.4m grant through the government's Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme As well as the new cremators, it will also include refurbishment of the chapel, new furniture and equipment, a new Japanese-themed garden and landscaping improvements in the grounds. Once planning permission is granted, the council hopes to begin work in August, lasting for about nine months, during which time the crematorium building will be closed. The cemetery grounds will remain open to visitors throughout the construction period. Arrangements are being made for funeral services to continue to be held in Worcester while the refurbishment is carried out – with more details being made available soon. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Crematorium set for £7m refurbishment Public asked for views on crematorium refurbishment Plans to revamp crematorium announced Worcester City Council
