Last chance to have your say on council’s savings plans

Councillor Allen Brett, cabinet member for finance

There are only a few days left to have your say on Rochdale Borough Council’s latest savings plans.

A 45-day consultation on how the council can make savings began in November and the deadline for feedback is 5pm on 9 January.

Government reductions in the funding it gives to the council, along with increases in costs and demand for services, means £159 million has already been cut from services over the past seven years. Further savings need to be made by 2019 so that a balanced budget can be set.

Councillor Allen Brett, the council’s cabinet member for finance, said: “The amount of money we get from the government has reduced drastically and the demand for our services has increased.

"We are still having to make some very tough decisions about the services we provide.

"We have already delivered significant savings while protecting the services that matter most to our residents but the task of making further cuts while setting a balanced budget gets tougher each year.

"The borough has no choice but to manage our way through this challenge as best we can, and with as little disruption as possible to residents who rely on council services.

"We will do everything we can to continue to protect the services and support which our residents and local communities need and value.

"We want your views on the services where savings are proposed to be made so please look at the proposals and have your say.”

Details of the savings proposals, a video explaining how the council spends its resources, what they have done already to save money and why they need to save more can be viewed at www.rochdale.gov.uk/savings

Information is also available in local libraries and council customer service centres, where residents can use free computers to have their say.

Final decisions are due to be made at a meeting of the Budget Fixing Council on 1 March, but the financial challenge is likely to continue into future years.