Allotment fees to rise by 46% in Worcester

Running the allotments cost the council £115,000 last year, it said (generic image)

Plans have been approved to put up allotment charges in Worcester by 46% next year.

A £2 entry fee for the Worcester Show will also be introduced and Cripplegate Park and South Quay fountains are to be inactive for longer periods, following efforts to close the city council's budget gap.

The changes will save more than £60,000 a year, according to the authority.

It said the cost-of-living crisis had had "a huge impact" on its budgets.

A full allotment plot would command a fee of £105 in 2024/25 compared to £71.70 at the moment; rising to £170 in 2026/27, a council report said.

There would also be a separate charge of £15 next year for those wishing to use mains water at allotments.

Further actions

Last week the authority said a "wide range of financial improvements" had already been agreed by members who were "committed to ensuring" the council's books were balanced by the time the 2024-25 budget was set in February.

A £2.25m budget gap identified earlier this year had been reduced to about £500,000, with further actions for savings to be identified in the coming months, it added.

On Monday, the policy and resources committee approved the measures over the show, allotments and fountains.

Running the allotments cost the council £115,000 last year, but it only received just under £40,000 in fees, leaving a £71,500 deficit, the authority said.

Cripplegate and South Quay fountains will only operate between May and September to bring them in line with previous agreements about the city's splashpad in Gheluvelt Park.

Those fountains will be on and the splashpad open for 100 days a year.