Worcester City Council

Ten "big belly" bins which can only be opened using a handle or a foot pedal are being trialed in Worcester to try to reduce the number of seagulls in the city.

The city council's already used dummy eggs in a bid to reduce numbers, as well as netting on roofs to discourage the birds from landing.

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The much bigger bins means street teams can focus more on litter picking as the bins should need to be emptied less, the council says.

If you want to see how these bins work, head to the BBC H&W Facebook page.

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City councillors have unanimously agreed that proposals for a new stadium for Worcester City close to the M5 are "unrealistic".

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The football club has been ground-sharing in the north of the county since leaving St George's Lane more than five years ago.

At last night's meeting, a move to Parsonage Way was ruled out.

Labour councillors are now calling for the club and its supporters to review the idea of a move to Perdiswell.

Plans for a stadium there are currently being considered by a planning inspector, having been rejected earlier in July.

A scheme to offer free wi-fi in Worcester city centre is expected to get the backing of councillors tonight.

Worcestershire County Council

Worcester City Council has drawn up proposals to allow shoppers to access free internet on their mobile phones for the next three years.

Councillors who sit on the policy and resources committee are being asked to approve a £130,000 budget.

Plans for a new football stadium at Warndon Villages in Worcester could be abandoned, afterit was found it could cost £2.5m to get the site ready.

Worcester City Football Club has been working on a scheme for a new stadium off Parsonage Way.

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The club has been looking for a new home since April 2013 after selling its old ground in St George’s Lane.

But the city council, which own the land, has now called the idea “unrealistic”.

Worcester City Council will phase out disposable plastics by the end of October.

The authority decided to stop using them in bottles, straws and cups, after a motion was put forward by councillor Neil Laurenson.

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The council is also encouraging local businesses to do the same.

Worcester City Council last night voted unanimously in favour of New Road cricketing legend Basil D'Oliveira being posthumously awarded the freedom of the city.

It's 50 years since the so-called D'Oliviera Affair, when England's tour of South Africa was cancelled because the apartheid regime objected to him being selected.

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The South African-born all-rounder played for Worcestershire between 1964 and 1980 and died in the city in 2011.

Plans for Worcester to have its own lottery, with a top prize of £25,000, have been backed.

The new weekly lottery, which will cost £1 to play, has been unanimously approved by the council in principle and could be launched later this year.

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The council says 60p from the cost of each ticket will go towards supporting charities and other causes in the city, with the rest going on admin costs and the prize fund.

Worcester could become the latest city to set run its own lottery.

The city council says it would have a top prize of £25,000 and 60% of the profits would go to local good causes.

The remaining money would make up the prize fund and pay admin costs.

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City councillors will vote on the plan when it meets on 10 July.

Telford and Wrekin Council recently decided to run a lottery too, with its first draw due to take place on 28 July.

The story of Worcester's local elections in 2018 was one that saw no-one score an outright win, a seismic collapse in UKIP support and a big victory in one case for the Green Party.

The Conservatives are still the largest party on the city council with 17 of the 35 seats and got a major upset by taking Gorse Hill from Labour.

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However they were denied overall control because the Greens booted outgoing mayor Steve Mackay out of Battenhall.

Having three councillors is the Green Party's highest ever tally and means they still hold the balance of power as Labour hold 15 seats.

The Conservatives will retain leadership of the council though as, five weeks ago, they amended the authority's constitution to mean the largest party group appoints its own leader.