A RADICAL shake-up to cut costs on Bromsgrove Council could include switching refuse collection and house maintenance to private contractors and the disappearance of one or more top executive posts. But Tory leader, Councillor Henry Chattin, gave assurances that change would be made by agreement and not sackings. A small panel of councillors would be considering the following: combining the separate duties of the chief executive with a department; merging the separate housing and surveyor officer posts into one new post; contracting out house maintenance, cesspool emptying by contractor and contracting out refuse collection.

A WAVE of crime that swept schools throughout Bromsgrove and the rest of the county left education chiefs with a bill of almost £20,000. David Stanley, head of Waseley Hills High School, said that over the last 12 months two video recorders and a cine projector has been stolen, as well as numerous other items. North Bromsgrove High School was hit by a spate of thefts when four video recorders, worth £1,800, were stolen. South Bromsgrove High School had been victim of just one serious break-in in 12 months when youths were seen attempting to get into the school office. They made their getaway empty handed and caused some damage to the school.

A TYPICAL householder in Bromsgrove in a three-bed semi faced a rate increase of just under £1 a week from April. Good housekeeping by Bromsgrove Council kept its rise to one penny - an increase of 7.7 per cent. This compared with a 16.4 per cent increase by the county council from 113 to 131 and a half pence.

STALLHOLDERS in Bromsgrove Market Hall faced a ten per cent increase in charges from April 1. Fairs using the Market Street recreation ground faced an increased charge of £25 a day and £35 a day for the midsummer fair. Next season football teams using the pitch at Churchfields and changing rooms at Recreation Road would pay £10 a match for adult games and £5 for teams under 16. Admission charges for children at the swimming baths would not be going up, but adults faced an increase from 45p to 50p.