Council seeks views on its spending priorities for next year
Residents are being asked for their views on what Lichfield District Council's spending priorities should be for the next financial year.
The authority spends around £11million annually on services including refuse collection and recycling, street cleaning, promoting the local economy, dealing with homelessness and antisocial behaviour, sports, leisure and events.
Around £7 million of this comes from council tax with the rest from business rates and other income.
LDC is asking residents, businesses and community groups for their opinion on local issues through an online survey to help shape its priorities.
The survey is open until November 30 at www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/prioritiesandbudget alongside other opportunities for taking part in the consultation including polls, an online ideas board and the chance to post questions to the council about its work.
The council is also looking to organise a series of question and answer sessions with a variety of groups across the district to discuss local priorities as part of the consultation.
Councillor Rob Strachan, Cabinet Member for Finance, Procurement, Customer Services and Revenues and Benefits, said: “Our priorities and budget consultation is an important element of our planning process because it helps us better understand the issues that our residents, businesses, and voluntary sector groups want us to focus on.
“We would like to gather views from as many local people as possible about the issues that are important to them to help shape our spending priorities for the next financial year.
“The past two years have been extremely challenging in many ways for many different parts of the local community so now, more than ever, it is vitally important that we focus our energies and resources where they can have the most impact.”
The council says feedback gathered through the priorities and budget consultation will be used to inform discussions on spending priorities over the next year and beyond.
The final budget decision for the 2022 to 2023 financial year will be made at a meeting of the full council in February.
