Council keen to involve residents in budget decision making
With Great Yarmouth Borough Council facing some serious financial challenges following last week’s comprehensive spending review, residents are being asked for their views, as the council plans for the years ahead.
Last week’s Government announcement is likely to see the main stream of funding to the council from the Government, the Revenue Support Grant, cut by over 7% each year, for the next four years – amounting to the council receiving around £700,000 less per year.
Additional Government funding streams, that amount to over £3 million per annum, also looks like they will end at once from April next year.
Whilst the authority has been planning for this reduction in funding for some time, the immediacy of some of the cutbacks leaves the council with some difficult decision making in order to be able to protect frontline services.
The council’s Cabinet will be meeting to consider the impact of the cuts on November 11 and is keen for members of the public to play a part in the decision making process.
Residents are being invited to submit any thoughts they may have on how council services they come into contact with can save or make money, by close of play on Tuesday November 9, to inform the initial budget planning meeting.
Residents will still be able to feed back their views after that date however.
The council welcomes honest feedback from members of the public about how they feel services that they come into contact with could be operated more efficiently, or ways they feel that the council could generate additional funds.
Members of the public can email budget@great-yarmouth.gov.uk or write to:
Budget Suggestions
c/o Robin Hodds
Member Services Manager and Scrutiny Officer and Deputy Monitoring Officer
Great Yarmouth Borough Council
Town Hall, Hall Plain, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk NR30 2QF
Barry Stone, Great Yarmouth Borough Council Deputy Leader, said:
“The Government cutbacks in funding leave us with some serious decision making to do over the coming months and years.
“We had been expecting that the public sector would feel the brunt of cutbacks after the economic downturn and as such we have been planning for this eventuality.
“However, certain grants being cut at once leave us with real financial challenges in order to protect frontline services.
“As part of our budget planning process we are keen to hear from residents or businesses, who feel that they have ideas as to how we can either save or make money.
“We have some highly creative thinkers in the borough and any constructive contributions will be welcomed.”
Content from GYBC website www.great-yarmouth.gov.uk
