The Leader of the Council, Ronnie Nicholson, is encouraging local people to have their say on the Administration’s budget proposals. The proposals were published at the end of December and detail the Administration’s plans for meeting this £32M savings target currently facing the Council over the next three years.
The Administration will be hosting public meetings across the region. People are encouraged to come along to these meetings so that they can put across their views on the proposals for saving money and also plans to invest in future projects.
Details of the budget proposals and areas for investment are available on the Council’s website: www.dumgal.gov.uk/budget. People are encouraged to read on the savings and investment proposals prior to the meetings, giving them information about the topics/areas for discussion.
There is also an online survey for those who cannot make one of the meetings. They are still able to have their say on the proposals by completing the online consultation.
The dates of the meetings are:
• Dalbeattie Town Hall, Monday 12 January, 7pm
• Ryan Leisure Centre, Stranraer, Thursday 15 January, 7pm
• Dumfries Academy, Tuesday 20 January, 6.30pm
• Annan Town Hall, Wednesday 21 January, 6.30pm
Leader of Dumfries and Galloway Council, Ronnie Nicholson, said, “Since becoming Leader I have made it clear that I’m committed to leading an inclusive Council. That means listening before decisions are made. Therefore, I hope the public will take time to have their say on the budget either through our online survey or by coming along to the budget consultation meetings. To make the most of the opportunity however I would strongly urge people to read the detailed budget proposals in advance of the meeting. These are available online on the council’s website, copies have been sent to local groups such as Community Councils and copies are also available in local libraries and Customer Service Centres. For the first time ever, we will be setting a three year budget so there is a lot of information for people to consider before the public meetings if they are to get the best out of the evenings”.
“Prior to the draft budget being published almost 500 people took part in our online budget survey and in my Facebook and Twitter ‘Speak to the Leader ‘ sessions. Staff have also put forward dozens of ideas for savings and we have also had a lot of very positive feedback on the draft budget since it was published in December. Our proposals for tackling youth unemployment in particular have gone down well and local people fully understand that the council are being forced to make £32 m of savings over the next three years due to the Government spending cuts and the Council Tax freeze” .
THE PEOPLE OF DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY ARE ENCOURAGED TO HAVE THEIR SAY ON LOCAL BUDGET
