Have your say on how the council in Peterborough spends your money

Residents in Peterborough are now being asked to have their say on how the council plans to balance its budget next year.

The consultation opened on Monday (December 5) and will run until January 8 and will inform decisions that councillors make in February on the overall Council budget.

Each year the council spends around £190million on services for local people that range from social care and support for vulnerable families; to public protection, planning and economic growth; to libraries, highways, housing and homelessness, street cleaning; and many more services.

With the council's financial challenge continuing, demand for some services increasing and unprecedented rates of inflation increasing the costs of supplies and services, the council has insisted that there is a need to find new ways of working and to deliver savings where possible.

The areas the council has said it will focus on are:

- Supporting people who are struggling the most, including through a network of community hubs.

- The city centre and making sure it is a place which is vibrant and where people feel and are safe.

- Investment of £1million to create a growth, regeneration, and economic development service to drive forward at pace ambitious plans to increase the number of homes, attract new businesses, create better jobs, and ensure that growth acts as a lever to address inequalities.

- Investment in a range of measures to improve energy efficiency and cut carbon across council buildings and increasing take-up of solar and other technologies across communities.

- Supporting even more people to remain independent for as long as possible, through technology-enabled care and reablement services.

- Driving forward the development of Family Hubs, using significant central government funding.

- A greater focus on recruiting foster carers, to reduce the number of children placed in more expensive agency placements.

- Transformation of Home to School Transport, with the aim of providing more cost-effective transport.

Residents can have their say on the budget consultation by completing an online form at www.peterborough.gov.uk/budget.

It is also possible to request a paper copy of the form by emailing [email protected] or calling 01733 747474.