PLANS to bring Malvern Hills District Council reception and call-answering services back in-house have been welcomed by the council's Democratic Group.

The council revealed its scheme to bring back reception services at the Council House at Avenue Road three weeks, when it unveiled its five-year plan.

The move will involve building a £450,000 extension, which could be open by the end of the year, if all goes well.

Sarah Rouse, leader of the Democratic Group, said: "The Democratic Group has been pushing to bring a reception back to MHDC and for us to take back the call answering service.

"Many of the long standing councillors in the group voted against the Conservative plan to outsource in 2014 and have been critical of the service for some time.

"The move back to residents being able to get directly in contact with officers is most welcome. Opening up MHDC so residents can have direct contact with those who can help them is an ideal situation.

"One wonders how it was ever thought outsourcing was a viable option, both financially and for the community.

"That said, we have all lobbied for the service to return and now it has. We will continue to monitor the service when brought back in house and ensure that it is properly resourced to function efficiently and that customer satisfaction is regularly assessed."

She also said the group will be carefully monitoring the council's financial strategy, which say council tax increase by £5 for a Band D Property.

She said: "With changes to the way Government will fund local authorities in the future, MHDC must look to grow its business base, as it is business rates that will fill the funding gap.

"Our officers are looking at innovative ways to move this forward. The Democratic Group is keen to ensure that this work looks across the district and supports rural enterprise as well as the high-tech Malvern firms.

"The rise in council tax may seem small to some, but it does make a difference to residents' income. We know many have not seen wage increases. So as a group we are constantly monitoring spend to ensure that residents get the best return they can."