Residents and businesses in the Cotswolds are being urged to give their views on the District Council’s spending plans as it prepares its budget for the next financial year.
The aim is to gather as much feedback as possible on key areas such as the waste service, parking, climate change, leisure, grants and changes to the district’s local plan.
Three events will also be held in towns across the district in a bid to gather as much feedback as possible before a report detailing respondents’ views is prepared for councillors to inform their Budget decisions.
Significantly, the budget is being prepared against a backdrop of continuing cuts in Government funding which have seen core funding fall from £5.9m in 2009 to £2.5m in 2019/20, a drop of 58.4 per cent. Further falls in Government funding are expected for 2021/22.
The council’s survey will also gather views on how the council can raise additional income from investing in local property; to a proposed Council Tax rise of £5 a year for a Band D household. It will also ask for opinions on proposals to raise parking charges and the cost of garden waste collections.
The drop-in events will all take place from 4-7pm at the Town Council offices in Tetbury on 9 January, Cotswold DC’s Area Office in Moreton-in-Marsh on 14 January and the Bingham Gallery in Cirencester on 16 January.
Council officials will also be present in each town earlier in the day to distribute information and gather responses from residents.
Please see this short video on YouTube about the consultation.
For more information on the budget consultation, and to fill out the survey, go to www.cotswold.gov.uk/consultations
Alternatively a printable version of the survey can be found here.