The 2009/2010 Budget Consultation - Hard Times, Hard Choices

More than 1,800 people had their say last year (2009) on where the County Council can make savings.

A total of 1,828 Leicestershire people responded – 1,158 by postal questionnaire, 593 online and 77 in three detailed workshops.

Council leader David Parsons said: “We have gone out and genuinely involved people in identifying where there is scope for the County Council to make savings.

“When we produce our spending proposals, we will take into account the main points that the public has raised.”

Online and postal questionnaire responses identified the following services as potential areas for savings:

• Home-to-school transport
• Library services
• Museums and arts
• Subsidising public transport
• Grass cutting

The 77 people who took part in the workshops were formed into a total of nine “cabinets”, to discuss and identify possible areas for savings.

The top service areas where the people’s cabinets thought possible savings could be found, were:

• Street lighting maintenance – eight cabinets
• Grass cutting  – eight cabinets
• Museums and arts  – seven cabinets
• Library services – six cabinets
• Home-to-school transport – six cabinets

Asked whether the council should increase Council Tax above 2.5 per cent, 76 per cent of people who completed the postal questionnaire and 52 per cent of people who completed the web questionnaire said no.

In the people’s cabinet groups, 77 per cent thought Council Tax should stay at about the same level and 17 per cent thought it should be reduced. A total of eight per cent wanted a tax increase.

Of those who responded online, 111 declared they were County Council employees.