Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWaC) want the public to let them know how they think the local authority’s budget should be spent.

The council is asking for help in outlining its priorities for the next four years against a challenging financial backdrop which has already forced them to propose £35m worth of savings - which still leaves a £12m funding gap.

This week, the authority launched a major public consultation entitled Let’s Talk with the primary aim of collecting views on CWaC’s budget proposals for the 2016-2020 period and it will feature 10 priorities that will encourage flourishing communities, thriving residents and a prosperous economy in the borough.

But during that time, reductions in central Government funding mean that CWaC need to bridge a £47m financial gap over the next four years - a 17% cut to its net budget.

Where the council spends its money

Cheshire West and Chester Council

The council has proposed £35m in potential savings, leaving a £12m gap in its proposals, something that leader Cllr Samantha Dixon admits is a ‘pressure’, but reiterates the four year time-frame and ‘capable officers’.

“When we took control of the council, the manifesto set out what we wanted to do so we gave that to officers and said we wanted to try and make it happen,” she told The Chronicle. “We’ve tried to set it out as clearly as we can. The proposals don’t add up to £47m, the actual figure is about £35m, but bear in mind we have four years to do this.”

Job cuts may be a possibility at some point, she concedes, although it is ‘premature’ to be more specific at this early stage.

“It may be that people will lose jobs, already the council has shrunk in terms of the people it employs ,” said Cllr Dixon. “But we have strong services with other councils. It’s premature to be clear about the level of job cuts at this stage - this is a consultation.

“By starting now and implementing over four years, we’d hope to take a careful, planned approach rather than a knee jerk one.”

Much of CWaC’s budget is spent on vulnerable children and adult health and social care and, according to the proposals, this remains one of their biggest priorities.

For example, savings of £290,000 a year could be made through a new children’s social care team that would provide intensive support in times of crisis and reduce the need for ongoing care. Lower income households would be protected from any further changes to the Council Tax Reduction Scheme.

And in order to encourage ‘flourishing communities’, the council say they will bring up to 900 empty homes back into use, tackle fuel poverty and home energy efficiency and review the current waste service.

Shortfall in council plans

£12m

Budget shortfall

Cheshire West and Chester Council

Other proposals CWaC are considering include investing an additional £250,000 annually into helping people back into work, particularly focusing on those with mental health issues and young people from deprived backgrounds, and developing a company to provide support to local schools.

A new car parking strategy could also be implemented, as the current system is very ‘piecemeal’, says Cllr Dixon.

“Don’t forget we cover a whole borough and there are a number of different approaches to car parking in different places,” she explained.

“We need to sort out the needs of people who live and work in the borough - the strategy needs to take a serious approach to those groups of people. We are asking, do you wish us to focus on car parking to raise income? If so there would be further consultations.

“The purpose of all this is to check with people if they agree with us. We ask them to put their priorities in order. It is about rethinking how things can be done.

“As a new administration, we want to say why are we doing this, what do we want to achieve? We’ve looked everywhere we can think of where we can make changes. It’s crucial we give the best service possible to residents.”

You can have your say in the following ways:

  • Completing a full questionnaire on the detailed proposals available at www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/letstalk
  • Sending a letter to Let’s Talk, Cheshire West and Chester Council, Council Offices, 4 Civic Way, Ellesmere Port, CH65 OBE
  • Email your views to letstalk@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk
  • Phone the council’s Contact Centre on 0300 1238123 and quote ‘Let’s Talk consultation’.
  • Complete a budget simulator tool and put yourself in the shoes of councillors to set a balanced budget in line with your priorities at letstalk.budgetsimulator.com or www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/letstalk

Closing date is January 6 2016