WYRE FOREST DISTRICT COUNCIL Your services 2014/15 INSIDE: What your Council Tax pays for Our services and priorities...
Support for Local Business Finance and Advice ARE YOU LOOKING FOR FINANCE TO HELP YOUR BUSINESS? WANT TO KNOW MORE? Tel: 0845 6015953 Email: info@nwedr.org.uk Web: www.nwedr.org.uk Do you need new equipment to help you reach new markets? Do you need help to bring new areas of your building into use or to relocate to bigger premises? Do you have a new market or new product idea that you need financial help with? Do you need help to reduce your running costs? Are you looking to develop your leadership or your team s leadership skills? YOU COULD BE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY for a grant, loan or support programme (subject to eligibility and availability of funds) CONTACT North Worcestershire Economic Development & Regeneration to find out how we can help your business North Worcestershire Economic Development & Regeneration provides services on behalf of Bromsgrove, Redditch and Wyre Forest District Councils www.bromsgrove.gov.uk www.redditchbc.gov.uk www.wyreforestdc.gov.uk
WHERE YOUR MONEY GOES... Most of the money for providing services to you comes from central government and other grants. For the Wyre Forest district just over 6 million is collected through Council Tax. Wyre Forest District Council also collects the Council Tax on behalf of Worcestershire County Council, The Police and Crime Commissioner for West Mercia, Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Authority and, where necessary, your local parish or town council. The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for West Mercia (12%) Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Authority (5%) Parish/Town Councils (1% average) How your Council Tax bill is split For Wyre Forest District Council s service, a Band D household pays 201.45, which is just 3.87 a week... Wyre Forest District Council (13%) Worcestershire County Council (69%) HOW TO CONTACT US... You can apply for it, pay for it, report it at www.wyreforestdc.gov.uk Email: worcestershirehub@wyreforestdc.gov.uk Phone: 01562 732928 For more detailed financial information, including a breakdown of how your money is spent visit www.wyreforestdc.gov.uk/counciltax Keep up to date with the latest Council news find us on Facebook (Wyre Forest District Council) or follow us on Twitter (@wyreforestdc)
WHAT YOU GET FOR YOUR MONEY... Cleaner streets Waste and recycling collection Online services - from paying bills to reporting fly tipping Community neighbourhood wardens on your streets Help and support for burglary victims Food, health and safety inspections Award winning parks, play areas and skate parks Leisure centres and sports activities Summer events - festivals and parties in the parks Planning and building control Housing advice and benefits Energy efficiency advice and grants Car parking and civil enforcement officers Issuing and enforcing licences Combating environmental crime such as fly tipping Public toilets Grants for community projects Running elections Innovative art projects in schools and the community Supporting local businesses with grants and advice * based on a Band D property Here are a few of our other achievements last year... your Council Tax helps about all of our services visit our website www.wyreforestdc.gov.uk Continued to make efficiencies, taking savings to 3.6 million since 2009 Extended our grant scheme to support local businesses to fund an apprentice Introduced free parking in selected car parks Opened a new splash pad in Brinton Park Worked with partners on key development projects like the Bull Ring project Celebrated 10 years of Kidderminster Arts Festival Welcomed 6,000 visitors to our Cherry Festival at Bewdley Museum Agreed partnership funding to build 360 new affordable homes Opened Space a business centre for start up and growing businesses Held an outdoor cinema event attracting more than 2,500 people Progressed plans for a new leisure centre WE RE FOCUSING ON... We have set two key priorities for the Council over the next 5 years. They are to support you to... Contribute to a successful local economy and to Live in clean, green and safe communities Some of the ways we are going to do this is by: Working with partners to create a growing and sustainable economy Progressing regeneration and development opportunities Creating new job opportunities Helping businesses to start up and existing ones to grow Attracting investment Promoting the District Creating a cleaner and greener environment with high quality public space Helping partners to reduce crime and the fear of crime Working to meet housing needs Preventing and reducing homelessness WAYS TO PAY... Our preferred method of payment is Direct Debit, download a form from our website or contact the Worcestershire Hub Customer Service Centre on 01562 732928. You can also pay online by visiting www.wyreforestdc.gov.uk/online or by phone 01562 67533. (Remember you will need to have your account reference number) At post offices and PayPoint Outlets You can now make cash payments for many council services at any Post Office or PayPoint outlet in the country. All Post Offices also take debit card payments and some PayPoint outlets accept debit cards too. Some retailers may charge for debit cards. You will need to take your bill with you. It has a barcode on it which is required for you to make a payment. To find out your nearest outlet visit http://www.allpay.net/outlets. Payments can no longer be made at any of the Worcestershire Hub Customer Service Centres.
Your county council Worcestershire FutureFit Last year, Worcestershire County Council re-launched our corporate plan for up to 2017. Called FutureFit, it sets out our vision for the county council and our priorities over the next three years. We ve received over 35,000 responses from residents and businesses who have taken part in our public consultations to date and they have told us that these are the four areas that are most important to them: Championing... O p en f or B usi n ess You said ensuring Worcestershire is Open for Business is vital. Supporting... C h i l dr en an d Fam i l i es You said supporting Children and Families and keeping children safe should be fundamental to what we do. Protecting... T h e E nvi ron m en t You said protecting The Environment is important. Promoting... Heal th an d W el l -bei n g You told us promoting Health and Well-being should be a priority. Each of these four areas of focus sits at the heart of FutureFit and will remain the key drivers for the County Council over the next three years. To view FutureFit, go to www.worcestershire.gov.uk/corporateplan. As we continue through this period of change, your feedback remains important to us. We will continue to engage and inform local residents and businesses and would encourage you to get involved with future consultation activities. To view a list of our current public consultations, go to www.worcestershire.gov.uk and search for Consultation.
Thinking about Adoption or Fostering? Adoption: 0800 633 5442 www.isadoption4me.co.uk Contacting your county council You can access a wide range of council services online at www.worcestershire.gov.uk. This includes reporting a pot hole or broken street light; applying for a school place; applying for and renewing a blue badge or bus pass; applying for a library card and renewing a library book; and paying your council tax, business rates or homecare invoice. If you don t have a computer, you can visit your local library and use one for free. If you d prefer to contact us by phone or need to make an appointment to see one of our advisors, all of our numbers are listed in the phone directory. Fostering: 0800 028 2158 www.isfostering4me.co.uk Budget 2014-2015 To view your county council s budget and how the money is spent, including a summary of gross expenditure, income and staffing, go to worcestershire.gov.uk/budget Find your councillor To find out who your local County Councillor is and to contact them about local issues, go to worcestershire.gov.uk/councillors Follow us... Join over 7,000 people and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ worcscc to get emergency alerts and updates. Funding Networking Business Support Skills All your business needs. All in one place. Brought to you by over 20 organisations www.business-central.co.uk 0300 123 14 40
UNTIL MARCH 2015 GARDEN WASTE? WE CAN COLLECT IT *... *from just 38.00 a year, subject to availability prices apply from April 2014 to March 2015