Green-led Ware Town Council has announced an ambitious budget for 2025/26 that includes significant investment to protect much-loved local facilities in the town.
Key among this is a pledge of £120,000 to help get Fanshawe Pool & Gym reopened following its closure in December 2024. The Greens have also voted to take on the lease for the Southern Maltings to prevent it from being sold in the future and to preserve it as a centre for arts, culture and community – an investment which will also generate additional revenue for the Council in years to come.
To fund this ambitious programme, councillors voted on 13th January to increase Ware Town’s Council’s portion of the 2025/26 council tax bill from £209 to £271 for a Band D property. This works out as an increase of 29.5% from last year, equivalent to an additional £1.18 per week.
Leader of Ware Town Council, Cllr Thomas Day, commented: “We’re excited about all the things our Green-led council has and will deliver for our community. Whilst no decision to increase residents’ bills is taken lightly, we hope that residents will see that, at a time when all other levels of government are making cuts and reducing their services, we are committed to protecting Ware’s community assets, supporting the amazing groups and organisations operating in the town, and ensuring Ware continues to be a very special place in which to live and work.”
Since the Greens became the largest party on Ware Town Council in May 2023, the Council has started an extensive refurbishment of the Priory Lido (due to complete in September 2025), refurbished the public toilets in the Priory Grounds (reopening in March 2025), set up the ‘Ware Shares’ household item lending scheme, delivered an extensive programme of community events, and provided over £60,000 of grants for community groups.
Behind the scenes, significant investment has been made to modernise and refurbish the Grade II Listed Priory building and adjacent Fletcher’s Lea, with the aims of reducing running costs and improving the facilities’ ability to generate revenue for the Council. This will reduce the Council’s reliance on council tax as its main source of income and provide better financial sustainability in the long term. The Council’s new Climate & Biodiversity Manager has been particularly successful in applying for grants to help fund many of the energy efficiency upgrades being made across the estate.
Other projects planned for the 2025/26 financial year include the completion of the Priory Lido refurbishment, construction of a new café next to the Priory Park, town centre improvements (including new Christmas lighting), and compostable toilets for the Council’s allotment sites.
Explaining the Greens’ approach, Cllr Day added: “We have invested heavily in the first half of this council term to ensure we can deliver real benefits to the community as quickly as possible, both in terms of the services we provide and the sustainability of council operations. As these capital projects are completed, it is our aspiration to reduce residents’ tax burden in future years.”