Bracknell

Bracknell Residents are urged to give their views about what Bracknell Forest Borough Council spends on its services in the coming financial year (2007/08).

The Council is publishing an online survey, as well as all its budget proposals in detail, on its website for comment and scrutiny.

Approximately £190 million a year is spent on day-to-day council services, £60 million of this being financed through council tax and charges for services. The council tax in Bracknell Forest is currently the lowest of any comparable area in England.

However, the Council is facing significant pressures on its budget in the coming year, well above the rate of inflation. These include:

# Increasing demand in services for children and adults with learning disabilities - this is a trend across the country;
# Increased demand and costs around supporting older people to live in their homes;
# Increased costs of waste disposal and landfill tax.

At the same time, the grant provided by the Government to the Council in the coming year is less than expected and significantly below the rate of inflation.

Cllr Paul Bettison, leader of Bracknell Council, said: We continue to lobby the Government for a better deal for Bracknell Forest residents.

In the meantime, we have some difficult decisions to make and we want to hear from our residents to make sure we reflect their views when we come to make these decisions.”

In the past the Council has increased council tax up to the Government set limit of 5% and used money available in its reserves to minimise the impact on its services.

If Bracknell Council uses the same approach next year it would need to find savings of around £2.5million (which is 4%) to balance its budget.

Savings of £1.6 million have already been identified, focusing on efficiency savings and taking out back office costs.

Residents can visit www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk.to view the detailed budget proposals and to take part in the online consultation survey. Copies of the full budget proposals will also be available at Council offices and libraries.

Bracknell Forest Borough Council