MORE money is being made available to support vulnerable people in Tenbury and the Teme Valley.

Worcestershire County Council will increase its spending to support the most vulnerable people in society and to improve the prospects for children, as it responds to and recovers from the pandemic.

In Budget proposals for the next financial year, the Council has earmarked £260 million of its total budget next year to fund adult and community services and to improve the outcomes of children and young people in Worcestershire.

Millions of pounds more are to be invested in supporting the economic recovery and funding services that are most important to residents, including improving roads, pavements and tackling traffic congestion as well as investing in flood mitigation.

"This year has been an exceptional year for all of us,” said Councillor Simon Geraghty, the Leader of Worcestershire County Council.

“We are doing all we can to keep residents in Worcestershire safe, try to reduce the spread of the virus and support the most vulnerable in society.

“Millions of pounds more have been invested into supporting local businesses through these very challenging times.

“We recognise the difficulties that many households in Worcestershire are facing and because of that we are keeping the rise in Council Tax next year as low as possible.

“We are planning to invest an extra £11.5 million into tackling the growing financial demands of Worcestershire’s ageing population. We are proposing to spend an additional £7.7m on improving outcomes for our children and young people.

“Our proposed budget for the next financial year will also support the county’s recovery from the pandemic. We plan to invest in those areas that residents have told us are most in need of improvement. They include improving the county's roads and pavements, cutting congestion and improving public transport. We are also investing in schemes that will reduce the risk of flooding.”

The Council will have spent more than £80 million on its response to the Covid-19 pandemic by the end of this financial year. Due to Government grants it is still forecasting a balanced budget for this year and is putting forward a balanced budget for the next financial year.

It is proposed that Council Tax will be increased by 2.5 per cent next year. One per cent of the increase is to for Adult Social Care services.

The increase is the equivalent to 68 pence per week for a band D property.