As part of the council’s budget consultation, a Public Question Time is being held at Liverpool Town Hall on Thursday 27 October at 6pm, which will also be broadcast live on the council’s website.
More than 200 local people will get to find out first hand the scale of the challenge for 2012-13 caused by reductions in the grants given to the city council by central government. The discussion will be focused around options for next year - and not decisions for the current financial year (2011/12).
There will be a presentation on next year’s budget, including a series of management options that the council will be asked to consider as the budget process unfolds. This will be followed by the opportunity to ask questions.
Council Leader Joe Anderson said: “This year we have had to take £91 million out of our budget, which is around 22 percent of our controllable spending. It proved to be an extremely difficult and tough process which led to some extremely hard decisions being made. I don’t think it has yet hit home how hard the cuts are going to affect services because we are only just starting to see the impact. Next year the pain is going to be even harder because we have already trimmed away the excess fat by slashing waste and cutting senior salaries and the management structure.
“We are now getting to the stage where we have to make decisions over which services we want to continue to provide, those that we can’t afford to continue or where we will need to change the standard of service. Some of the proposals will be unpalatable, but the sheer scale of the savings that we have to find means it is not an issue we can duck.
“We are determined to be as open and honest as we can about the process, because it is no exaggeration to say that the decisions we make will affect every single resident in one way or another. I hope the consultation will lead to a greater understanding of the difficulties we face, and explain to people how we are trying to set a budget which is fair and protects services to the most vulnerable as far as we possibly can.”
The first of a series of joint budget working party discussions involving the ruling Labour administration and the Liberal Party has already been broadcast online, attracting hundreds of hits.
People who wish to attend the Public Question Time must register for a place by calling 0151 233 3040 or e-mail budget@liverpool.gov.uk by Thursday 20 October. Seats will be allocated on a first come, first served basis and are limited to two per applicant or organisation. Admission to the meeting will not be possible without a ticket.
People will be required to give their name and address to prove they are a resident or own a business in the city, and the tickets will be posted out to them. People can also follow the event online at www.liverpool.gov.uk/budget.
Information and further consultation events for stakeholders and elected members will also be held over the next few weeks. A further Public Question Time will take place in January 2012 before the council sets its budget for 2012/13 in March 2012.
www.liverpool.gov.uk/budget
Source: Liverpool City Council website, Tuesday 11 October 2011