Budget - Have your say
Quick questionnaire
Setting the council's budget is never easy and although it's not just about council tax, this is a major part of the debate. As you would imagine it's the thing that most people want to hear about.
Over recent years, we have been able to keep increases in
council tax to a minimum and we compare favourably with the
national average for increases.
As well as contributions from local council tax, the council's
budget is made up of a grant from central government. A large
percentage of this is dedicated specifically for schools.
The way we fund our services is based on our statutory
responsibilities and on a number of council priorities, which we
have tested with local people through surveys and focus
groups.
Almost 90 per cent of respondents agreed that the council's
priorities were either 'very' or 'fairly' important. In line with
responses we have received from local people, we have slightly
updated these priorities for the coming financial year.
For the period 2007- 2010, our priorities
will be:
- Plan and deliver a safe, attractive and environmentally friendly city
- Achieve the best possible health and well being
- Make Peterborough a better place in which to live and work
- Provide high quality opportunities for learning and ensure children are healthy and safe
As the council has only limited funds, it is important that we
focus our spending on these priorities. It is also important that
we make every effort to keep council tax as low as possible.
"This is a particularly tight budget round," said the
council's director of strategic resources, John Harrison. "The
costs of running a city cover everything from keeping our streets
clean, to providing education and care for children and helping
older people live independently in their own homes for longer. It's
a broad remit and everything we do costs money.
"Although it would clearly be impractical to involve everybody
in the city in the precise process of setting our budget, we do
want to know what you think about our priorities and understand
your feelings about local issues and their cost."
By answering a few simple
questions you can help us to set council tax in line with
issues that are important to you.