Malvern Hills District Council heard this week it will get more money than expected from the Government.

The council will receive an extra £700,000 in its Local Government Financial Settlement over the next two years.

David Wood, director of resources, said: "The extra money will enable the council to balance its budget next year without having to make a number of painful savings that had been identified during the autumn."

On November 22, the executive committee approved a series of proposed cuts in spending on best value, grounds maintenance, CCTV monitoring and other areas.

But with the extra money coming in, the council will have a chance to reconsider the cuts at its meeting on Wednesday (December 14).

Also among the proposed cuts was the controversial closure of public toilets in Malvern and Upton.

However, it is not clear whether Wednesday's meeting will have the chance to reverse this policy, since it is the subject of a report which is not expected until the new year.

MHDC has also learnt that the Government is reducing the grant for administering housing and council tax benefits by about £100,000 next year and £150,000 the following year