Have your say on council budget proposals

Councillor Richard Farnell

Residents are being invited to have their say on council proposals to save £51million over the next two financial years – (2015/16 and

The proposals were considered by councillors this week and leader of the council, Councillor Richard Farnell is encouraging everyone to have their say on the proposals before decisions are taken. He said: “Making further savings on this scale presents a massive challenge, but we are doing all we can to protect the front line services residents depend on. We are considering new ways of providing some of our services, smarter ways of working, more effective ways of commissioning, joint working with other councils and better use of our assets so we can deliver services at a lower cost. We have looked right across the organisation at all our operations. By innovating and making savings we are also considering a proposal to freeze council tax, which will be subject to final decision making, but I hope will be welcome news for residents in this difficult climate.

“No final decisions have been made, so I urge residents to read the details of the proposals that affect services they use and give us their views during the two months of consultation on the proposals or any other ideas they have to address this challenge.”

The proposals will be uploaded onto the council website for the start of the consultation, which begins at 9am on 8 September 2014. To view and submit comments online visit www.rochdale.gov.uk/yourviews or send them by email to consultation@rochdale.gov.uk

The closing date for this public consultation will be 29 October 2014 at 5pm. Responses and suggestions will be considered before decisions are made on the final budget for 2015/16.