Clackmannanshire Council Online

Tough Budget Choices - Have Your Say

Some tough choices will be required to ensure that the Council can meet the need to make substantial savings and remain financially viable in the years ahead, a report to Clackmannanshire Council has said.

While to date substantial savings have already been made in ways that have generally minimised the impact on communities, the scale of the savings required means that this may no longer be possible. The report explained that the Council is facing a funding gap of between £8million and £9million for 2015/16 and a further £14million for the following two years. To maintain statutory services, including services that protect and support the most vulnerable residents, substantial savings must be made in those services that are not required to be delivered by law, including highly valued services that communities have become accustomed to.

Public service delivery in Clackmannanshire continues to change significantly. The Council is required by law to provide certain services like social work, education, planning and environmental health. It also provides or subsidises a wide range of other services such as buses, CCTV, community safety, countryside and heritage management and business development.

In the past few years the Council has tried to ensure, through extensive public consultation exercises, that the many people who use our services every day are aware of the changes ahead.

A budget booklet has been produced to illustrate the proposed changes that Council officers are recommending. It categorises potential savings as either:

• Stop - some or all of the services that we are not required by law to provide
• Reduce - service delivery to the national average standard; prioritise services for those most in need
• Charge - introduce charges to help pay for some services or stop subsidies for other services
• Change - look at different service models, which will see the way some services are delivered change significantly

Council Chief Executive Elaine McPherson said: "In common with other councils, the funding gap facing the Council in the coming years remains significant to ensure that we achieve a balanced budget in 2015-16 and beyond.

"The views of our community are an important part of the budget setting process and I'd urge residents to look at the suggestions which Council officers have put forward to achieve the budget savings which are required. These views will then be presented to the councillors who will be setting the budget in February."

The booklet can be viewed on ClacksWeb where you can also complete an online survey. The consultation runs until 9 February 2015. Staff in your local council office can help you with this if you don't have access to a computer. You can also give your views to your councillor or community councillor, or email mcb@clacks.gov.uk or write to MCB, Clackmannanshire Council, Kilncraigs, Greenside Street, Alloa FK10 1EB.