PAYING for cemetery fees, hiring the town hall and tending an allotment in Evesham will all be more expensive from next year.

Evesham Town Council agreed the increases when it met on Monday evening to discuss next year’s budget. Cemetery fees will increase by 10 per cent, the same rise will be applied to anyone booking the town hall and allotment fees will go up from £28 to £30.

Town clerk Frank Green said that Evesham’s cemetery fees were currently among the lowest in the area and that the rise in the town hall fee was due to improvements made to the building.

Speaking on Monday, Councillor Gerry O’Donnell said the town council was holding too much in its reserves – currently more than half a million pounds.

“I feel slightly uncomfortable at the amount in our reserves. I appreciate the need to have them but should we be using it in different areas?” he said.

Mr Green replied: “It is an inflated figure at present because it is part way through the year. Some years ago an auditor did raise concerns but now the reserves are less than twice our precept, which is the bar they use. If the reserves are greater than twice the precept then the auditor would say we are holding too much.

“We are in a better position for a town council than anywhere else in Wychavon.”

Richard Jones added: “I can’t see what kind of catastrophe would occur that would mean we need to keep so much back. I welcome the rise in town hall booking fees but it is still going to make a loss.”

Councillor John Smith moved that the budget be agreed as had been set out in the council’s report which will see the precept set at £369,905 and an average cost per household per annum of £45.32.