COUNCIL chiefs in Worcester have finalised a £10.1 million spending package - as a raft of last-minute changes were agreed to the city's 2015/16 budget.

After hours of debate last night the Conservative leadership at the Guildhall has agreed a series of opposition Labour Party amendments to the new-look budget, which launches from April.

After last night's full council meeting the plans, including a freeze in the city's portion of the council tax, now also include:

- £25,000 towards a potential City of Culture bid for 2021, as it emerged the total cost will be around £100,000

- £10,000 on installing a raft of cycle storage units around Worcester to encourage people to get out of their cars

- £17,500 to fund a new "tourism business strategy" to finally devise a detailed plan for catapulting Worcester up the destination rankings

- £10,000 on helping cut resident's energy bills, which could include advice on home insulation and switching providers

- Carrying on with a £25,000 kitty for people in areas 'of highest need' to bid for grants on worthwhile projects, aimed at residents in Gorse Hill, Warndon and Tolladine

The opposition Labour group suggested each one should be for two years, but the Conservatives insisted they were only prepared to accept each for an initial 12 months after taking advice from officers.

Councillor Simon Geraghty, the leader, said the changes were evidence he was "listening to good ideas", saying: "This is the first time in my 15 years on this council that an administration has taken on board so many opposition amendments."

Labour Councillor Roger Berry said it was "absolute nonsense" to suggest everything should be looked at one year at a time, claiming the leadership had "created a situation where the budget is in crisis".

Cllr Geraghty said: "I'm prepared to be magnanimous and listen but we must listen to professional officer advice and take this on board for one year only."

The money to fund the budget changes will come from cash saved from the turnover of staff.

The rest of the budget remains in place, including carrying on with the freeze in car parking charges and confirmation that the Living Wage will still be offered to the lowest paid workers, benefitting around 73 people.

Despite the city freezing its council tax, it only controls 11 per cent of the bill with the rest going to the county council, police and fire service.

All three of those bodies have upped their portions nearly two per cent, the maximum amount allowed without holding a referendum, adding around £25.63 a year to the average band D bill from April.

During the budget vote, the entire Tory group and independent Councillor Alan Amos backed it but Labour and Green Neil Laurenson voted against, partly after being rebuffed on trying to implement its changes for two years, while Lib Dem Liz Smith abstained.

SO WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

THE latest budget plans mean a raft of 'big ticket' spending plans by the Tory leadership now have the green light - including a £200,000 revamp of the Gheluvelt Park Splashpad which we first revealed last year.

It means the tourist attraction, which is hugely popular with families, will get on-site toilets to avoid people having to trek to the other side of the park, and any leftover cash used to draw up other possible improvements like a dedicated refreshment area.

Other major investments include the £200,000 revamp of The Commandery, including new interpretation facilities, as we revealed was on the cards two months ago, and £500,000 towards sprucing up city centre streets, as we also first reported was being considered just before Christmas.

The fund is expected to be beefed up by extra county council cash and will focus on Broad Street and The Shambles.

Around £25,000 will go on riverside maintenance, £20,000 on replacing street name plates as we exclusively revealed in December, £80,000 back into street cleaning, reversing previous cuts, and £15,000 back into play area maintenance.

Crucially, it also includes provision for finalising the financing of the £10.45 million eight-lane swimming pool at Perdiswell, which will see the existing leisure centre expanded by the end of 2016.

In another nod to tourism, a £100,000 pot will go on supporting a range of city events like celebrating the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carter, 50 years of the Swan Theatre, 150 years of Worcestershire County Cricket Club and the Worcester 10K race as we reported in December.

Councillor Simon Geraghty, the leader, said: “All of this can make a real difference in building an even better Worcester, which is what we all want to see.”

The investments form part of a blueprint known as the Corporate Plan.

BINS DEBATE BACK ON THE AGENDA

DURING the budget debate the tactic to outsource bin collections, parks maintenance and street sweeping to the private sector came under severe criticism.

The move, which the council wants to launch from 2017, is aimed at saving £500,000 a year, with around 120 jobs being privatised, as we've reported previously.

Labour councillors turned up at the Guildhall with miniature toy green bins, which each one placed at the front of their desks as an apparent protest.

They were also sporting green ribbons as part of their campaign to scrap the parks policy.

Councillor Adrian Gregson, Labour group leader, said: "This is the most valued, trusted, worthwhile element of work this city council does and you want to get rid of it.

"Your plans are flawed, the budget's income streams and responsibility is flawed, you're playing with people's lives."

Labour Councillor Richard Boorn said it was like "rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic", claiming it was "going to cash converters" and hoping for a good return.

But Councillor Marc Bayliss, the deputy leader, said: "They can't bring themselves to say 'well done, you've listened' - every single penny you asked for is in this budget.

“We’ve heard comments about ‘butchery’, but we’re spending more on The Commandery, more on bins, play areas, Gheluvelt Park, street signs, that doesn’t sound like butchery to me, it sounds like investment.

“If you wanted more, if you wanted to up council tax, why didn’t you ask for that? If you wanted parking charges changed, you could have brought that to the meeting, why not?

“You just cannot bring yourselves to support this budget can you.”

Labour Councillor Geoff Williams said he feared the council “becoming an outpost of Capita or Civica”, two private outsourcing firms, in the future but Cllr Geraghty also responded to the criticism by saying “if there’s been any butchery, it was last year (when Labour were in control), which we’ve actually undone”.

Councillor Andy Roberts, the cabinet member for cleaner and greener, reiterated that no parks are for sale.

CITY OF CULTURE

THE City of Culture £25,000 fund follows a crunch meeting with around 75 sporting, artistic and cultural organisations at Worcester Racecourse two weeks ago.

During Tuesday's debate Labour group leader Councillor Adrian Gregson, who suggested the kitty should be included in the budget, said it was "a guestimate" based on those talks, where the overall costs of preparing a bid was said to be £100,000.

"This is a visible, clear commitment from us and a way of putting a marker on the table," he said.

Councillor Geoff Williams, Labour group deputy leader, said the support for making a bid during the talks two weeks ago was "overwhelming".

It was accepted by all political parties, despite Councillor Simon Geraghty, the leader, saying he hopes it "will not be seen as a token gesture".

"In the spirit of working together I'm happy to carry this forward though, absolutely," he said.

A bid would need to be made in 2017 for the 2021 crown.

To see what we've been reporting about the City of Culture debate recently on this fastly-developing saga, see here, or here, and here.

CYCLE AWAY

THE £10,000 cycling fund is aimed to encouraging more drivers to dump their cars for the twin benefits of cutting congestion and reducing pollution.

During the debate Councillor Lynn Denham, from the Labour group, said ever since a shiny new cycle rack became part of the new-look Foregate Street railway station, it has been hugely popular.

"The new racks there have been rapidly filled to capacity much of the time," she said.

Councillor Gregson said: "We're all aware of the congestion issues, at the moment it seems every road you go down has traffic lights and roadworks.

"One key aspect of improving the cycle network is to give people secure, safe cycle storage."

Councillor Geraghty said as the council has "just opened up the riverside" he saw better cycle storage as "essential".

"I want to see racks and stands out in our neighbourhood communities too, not just the city centre, so it benefits all our communities," he said.

“This is above politics, where there’s good ideas we will take them on board.”

* Tomorrow's Worcester News will feature a full run-down of all the updated council tax bands, from A to H.