Council Seeks Communities View on Balancing the Books
People and communities across South Ayrshire are being encouraged to submit their views on £1.6 million of budget savings proposals put forward by South Ayrshire Council for 2016/17-2018/19.
It's anticipated that the Council will have to find more than £20 million of savings over this three year period and almost £10 million of identified savings have been agreed so far.
Councillors are now seeking community views on a number of additional savings proposals, which could generate further savings of up to £1.6 million – subject to whether the proposals are implemented or not.
Councillor Bill McIntosh, Leader of South Ayrshire Council, said: "The Council delivers a wide variety of high-quality services across South Ayrshire, but we need to make some changes to ensure we deliver services in the right way, and within the available budget.
"That involves some really tough choices as we work to get the most for our money and deliver services that really make a difference for our people and communities. That's why we want people to submit their views on these proposals before we make any final decisions.
"And we really want them to think about the potential impact of these proposals and give us an honest assessment of how they – and their communities – could be affected. We all have to be realistic, in the current environment, that we can't just keep doing things as we always have.
"There is no doubt that some things will have to change and by putting forward your views, you can help influence what some of these changes are – or not, as the case may be. I would encourage as many people as possible to take part."
Councillor McIntosh concluded: "This is a genuine opportunity for local people to influence the budget decision-making process and I hope it's an opportunity they take."
You can find out more about Balancing the Budget 2016/17-2018/19 and submit your views on the savings proposals at www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk/balancing-the-budget.