Friday, 15 November 2013

Have your say on council budget

It's time to have your say on the council budget - and this year it's more important than ever to let the council know what your priorities are.

Excluding schools, which are fully funded by direct Government grant, South Glos Council spends over £318 million a year providing local services. £103 million of funding for that comes from central Government grants.

In recent years, those grants have reduced as part of cutting the deficit, and that is set to continue. By the end of 2014/15 the council will have reached a savings target of £43 million, through measures including cutting management levels by 40 percent, improving IT and simplifying processes and administration.

Unfortunately tens of millions of pounds of further savings will have to be made by the end of the decade. This will mean reshaping services or possibly even stopping some of them all together. This budget consultation gives you a chance to say which services you think are most important.

There are a number of ways you can do this:
  • Attend one of the budget roadshows:
Wednesday 20 November, Yate Shopping Centre, 1pm to 4pm
Thursday 21 November, Staple Hill Library, 10am to 1pm
Monday 25 November, Kingswood Shopping Centre, 2pm to 5pm
Tuesday 26 November, Sainsburys, Emersons Green, 1pm to 4pm
Wednesday 27 November, Bradley Stoke Willowbrook Centre, 3pm to 7pm
Thursday 28 November, St Mary’s Shopping Centre, Thornbury, 10am to 1pm
Wednesday 4 December, Patchway Hub, 10am to 1pm. 
  • Attend one of the Area Forums. The Frome Vale Forum (which includes Westerleigh, Ladden Brook and Frampton Cotterell wards) is at 7pm on Thursday 28th November in Chipping Sodbury Town Hall. Severn Vale (which includes Charfield) is at 7pm on December 4 in Severn Beach Primary School. 
  • Tweet your comments on Twitter using the hashtag #sgcbudget 
  • Fill in an online survey at www.southglos.gov.uk/budget 
  • Email: consultation@southglos.gov.uk 
  • Telephone: 01454 868154 
  • Write to: FREEPOST RTCT-JXLE-EET South Gloucestershire Council, Budget Consultation, Civic Centre, High Street, Kingswood, Bristol BS15 9TR

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