Voting and elections

Taxi drivers encouraged to go green with licence fee change

Licence fees for taxi drivers with fully electric vehicles will be scrapped to encourage more people to go green.

The plans, which were approved by Malvern Hills District Council's Executive Committee on 18 January, will see a waiver scheme implemented for the application fees to licence a vehicle as a hackney carriage or private hire vehicle where the vehicle is fully electric.

The current cost of an annual vehicle licence fee is £285 for Hackney Carriage Vehicle Licence and Private hire vehicle licence.

The proposal, aims to provide an incentive for licence holders to transition towards fully electric vehicles from those fuelled by petrol or diesel.

The waiver is set to start when the council's fees and charges for 2022/23 take effect in April 2022 and it would then be reviewed on an annually.

One of the key headings in the Destination Zero report is Low carbon travel. One of the actions identified in the plan is to engage with taxi drivers locally to encourage and support them to switch to low emission vehicles.

The council's Destination Zero report explains how they will contribute to reducing carbon emissions from their own operations. It also sets out how they will use their leadership role to help individuals, businesses and communities play their part in reducing the district's overall carbon emissions.

Cllr Tom Wells, Portfolio Holder for Community Services at Malvern Hills District Council, said: "This licence fee change will hopefully work as an incentive to encourage taxi drivers to think about their carbon footprint and to go fully electric. It is part of the council's vision to go carbon neutral as quickly as possible, but by 2050 at the latest"

Objections to the licencing fee change can be made within 28 days and if any are received during this period, they will be considered at a future Executive Committee meeting.

Visit www.malvernhills.gov.uk/licensing to contact the licencing team at Worcestershire Regulatory Services.

Councillors approve plans for Eco-friendly toilets in Great Malvern

One of the most-used toilet blocks in Great Malvern is set to undergo an eco-friendly refurbishment as part of a £200,000 project.

Improvements for the Grange Road toilet block were approved at the Executive Committee Meeting on Tuesday 18 January 2022.

The plans form part of the council's Five Year Plan to invest in the refurbishment of five town centre toilets by 2025 and reduce the Council's own use of electricity and water.

The following improvements will be made as part of the refurbishment:

The installation of solar roof tiles with battery storage (subject to planning

permission)

Low flush toilets and low water usage taps with built in legionella protection
New cubicles including ambulant cubicles in both male and female toilets
LED lighting
New sanitaryware and tiling throughout
Repair and replacement of windows
Improved facilities for disabled and those with ambulant disabilities
External redecoration

Cllr Peter Whatley, Portfolio Holder for Resources at Malvern Hills District Council said: "The public toilets were last refurbished over 15 years ago and as one of the highest used toilet facilities the refurbishment in Grange Road is a priority. Making eco-friendly improvements and reducing the usage of water and electricity will also have a valuable impact on the environment, so we are really looking forward to getting the project started".

Pictured: Cllr Peter Whatley, Portfolio Holder for Resources at Malvern Hills District Council, with Priory Ward members Cllr Beverley Nielsen and Cllr Cynthia Palmer outside the Grange Road toilets.

NEWS: Council announces plans for lower pond desilting and repairs at Priory Park

Plans are being put forward to clean out and enhance the lower pond in Priory Park for the first time in over 30 years.

The works, which will see the pond desilted and repaired, will form part of the council's Five Year Plan to improve the play area and biodiversity enhancements in the popular Great Malvern park.

Following the recent desilting and repair of the upper pond in Priory Park, which has reinstated water flow into the lower pond further, more significant works are required to the lower pond to improve water quality and biodiversity.

Desilting will enable the pond to start capturing carbon again and provide the right environment for plants to grow.

In addition to desilting, the project also includes:

Specialist fish removal prior to draining.
Installation of gabion baskets to create planting shelves.
Wetland planting to create habitat for aquatic invertebrates and insects.
Tree works to reduce overshading and leaf litter accumulation.
Installation of wildlife features including kingfisher perch and habitat log piles.
Non-native shrub thinning or removal and re-planting with native.
Shrubs and woodland bulb planting.

The project will take place early in 2022, to avoid key amphibian and bird breeding seasons and to ensure the least environmental impact to the wider park.

Up to 45% of the cost will be covered by a grant from Natural Networks that the council has negotiated, greatly reducing the cost to council taxpayers.

The proposals will be put forward at Executive Committee Meeting on Tuesday 18 January 2022.

Cllr Peter Whatley Portfolio Holder for Resources at Malvern Hills District Council said: "After the successful completion and improvements of the upper pond we are really keen to progress with works to the lower pond. The desilting and repairs will create a more sustainable ecosystem, which will reduce the frequency of interventions of this scale. These works are essential and all part of our commitment to improving and making the most of our wonderful environment."

Visit www.malvernhills.gov.uk/priorypark for more information.

MHDC councillors next to the lower pond in Priory Park, Great Malvern.

Pictured: Cllr Peter Whatley, Portfolio Holder for Resources at Malvern Hills District Council, with Priory Ward members Cllr Beverley Nielsen and Cllr Cynthia Palmer.

Date published: 13 January 2021

NEWS: Council's Five Year Plan to undergo refresh

Mental health education, more investment in flooding prevention and encouraging sustainable travel are amongst the priorities that could be added to Malvern Hills District Council's Five Year Plan.

The plan, which is reviewed annually, sets out a number of actions to be completed by 2025 under its three priority areas - Our Communities, Our Economy and Our Environment.

Its aim is to achieve the council's vision of enhancing the Malvern Hills District as a destination to explore and an outstanding place to live and work.

A refresh of the plan will be put forward to Executive Committee on 18 January.

New actions have been added and other actions have been amended where circumstances have changed or the targets have been updated. This comes following the recovery of the district from the impact that Covid has had both on the community and the economy.

The priorities include the adoption of the Connected Communities Strategy and work is progressing on an economic strategy both of which are funded from earmarked reserves.

Other new additions include supporting Malvern Hills District Youth Forum to improve mental wellbeing education in schools, investment in the refurbishment of five town centre toilets by 2025 and the investment £150,000 in major flood alleviation schemes, including Tenbury and Severn Stoke.

The council has also included the action of doubling the amount of renewable energy generated in the district by 2030 and providing 20 new EV charging points on council car parks across the district by 2025.

Cllr Sarah Rouse, Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Environmental Services at Malvern Hills District Council, said: "It is so important to review and refresh our Five Year Plan every year in order to adapt to the changing times and to also look back on what we have achieved. Pulling together as a community and rebuilding after Covid are major priorities for us as a council. Looking after our mental health and the environment are so vital to our wellbeing, these are just two examples of the council's priorities which are essential in improving the quality of life for residents as well as enhancing the district's natural environment".

Date published: 13 January 2022

Council to hold virtual fair to support volunteering in the district

Malvern Hills District Council will be holding its very first virtual volunteer fair this week.

The fair will be held on Facebook on 7 January 2022 and will showcase the many fantastic volunteering opportunities across the district throughout the day.

Other organisations will also be involved and will share the vacancies they have using the hashtag #MHDVolunteerFair.

The fair has been organised to support the voluntary community following the closure of Malvern Hills Volunteering.

Established in 2010, Malvern Hills Volunteering was set up to meet the needs of local people and voluntary organisations. It worked to help individuals find the right volunteering role while supporting organisations to recruit new volunteers within good practice for volunteer management guidelines.

Community Action Malvern, who operate a wide range of services to local people, as well as voluntary and community organisations, is now consulting with local organisations with the aim of establishing a Volunteer Centre in the Malvern Hills District.

Plans are in place to search for a location for the centre after Christmas. The work will initially focus on recruiting and placing volunteers with local projects and groups, as well as promoting a wide range of volunteering opportunities.

In time, further services such as training, funding advice or other support will be offered once the project is more established.

Kate Walton, Chief Officer at Community Action, said: "Community Action is delighted to be actively involved in the setting up of a new Volunteer Centre in Malvern which will benefit the whole community and its diverse range of groups and organisations. We already have plans for what the project can do in the future but in the meantime, we are working closely with Malvern Hills District Council to ensure that volunteering remains in the spotlight."

Cllr Tom Wells, Portfolio Holder for Community Services at Malvern Hills District Council, said: "We are excited to see this new chapter in the volunteering offer for the district and will be working closely with Community Action. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the team at Malvern Hills Volunteering who have dedicated their time over many years to supporting the voluntary sector. I'd also like to thank all of our wonderful volunteers and voluntary organisations in the Malvern Hills District, for everything you do."

Visit www.facebook.com/MalvernHillsDC to follow the Malvern Hills District Virtual Volunteer Fair.

For more information about the Volunteer Centre, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. at Community Action Malvern.

Disclaimer:

This volunteer fair will include information on groups and organisations who offer volunteering opportunities in the district. Whilst these groups and organisations are all part of the district's Volunteer Forum, they are not controlled by Malvern Hills District Council and should not be understood to be approved or endorsed by Malvern Hills District Council.