Residents in Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge can now go online to share their views on Somerset County Council’s financial priorities.
Central Government funding for the council fell by £15m last year and is due to fall by a further £42m by 2019/2020. The authority says it is therefore keen to understand local people’s priorities.
An online survey is now available asking residents to give their priorities plus views on some key issues and opportunities like devolution and the council’s Vision for Somerset.
You can find the online survey and some background information on the Council’s website here.
Cllr John Osman, Leader of Somerset County Council said: “We need to make savings of around £15m next financial year and it’s important that we understand people’s priorities.”
“We are ambitious and looking positively to the future with initiatives like the Vision for Somerset. But once again huge reductions in funding from central Government and pressures caused by an ageing population mean there will be more difficult decisions ahead.”
This is the fourth year the authority has run Internet and physical events, as part of its Listening Learning Changing (LLC) initiative, asking people to get involved.
The council says that while its funding has been cut, demand for the authority’s services, particularly Adult Social Care, are increasing, driven largely by Somerset’s ageing population. It says that in less than 20 years, people aged 65 and over will make up more than a quarter of the population in almost every part of the county.
Pictured: Above, Somerset County Council’s headquarters
