MORE than £15.5 million will be spent on various projects and schemes around Redditch over the next year.

The spending programme was revealed during a coach tour of Redditch which was set up to give councillors a chance to see where £8.3 million had been spent during the last 12 months.

It was the first time such a tour had been organised and numerous stops were made at places where money had been injected, including Crossgates Depot, a new £35,000 play area in Greenlands and Arrow Vale Sports Centre.

Over the next 12 months, £490,000 will be spent installing CCTV systems in estate shopping centres and a further £400,000 will be spent on play areas.

And bungalows in Dolphin Road, Abbeydale, which were once threatened with demolition, have been included on the spending programme, with more than £500,000 being allocated to their refurbishment.