What’s happened?

Worcester City Council has proposed major cuts for the coming years, affecting jobs and services across the city.

Why?

City finances are desperately over-stretched. The Tory council says the Government is to blame for under-funding the authority, but their Labour opponents say the council has been badly managed and should have raised council taxes higher in the past.

What will be affected?

Most council service areas will be hit in one way or another. CCTV cameras will go unmanned, there will be less cash for parks and street-cleaning, less tourist promotion, less money for arts and community centres, and shorter opening hours for museums and art galleries.

Will my council tax go up?

Almost definitely. Last month the city said it plans a 4.9 per cent increase next year in its portion of the tax – this equates to about an extra £7 on the average annual bill.

Are the cuts definitely going ahead?

Not yet. A final decision must be made by the whole council in February 2009.