How would you save £40 million?
The government is reducing the amount of money it gives to councils to run services. This year we are on track to save £55m, but from April 2013 we will have another £40m less to spend on local services.
The challenge facing us will get tougher as we have to keep making cuts to an annual budget that is getting ever smaller. In some instances, demand for our services is increasing and in others we have to think creatively about how we can raise more money.
We want to hear your views.
YouChoose is an on-line simulator, provided free of charge, so we can find out what is important to you and what your priorities are. This is your chance to have your say on which services we should spend more or less on, and on our savings/income plans.
If you are a member of the public please go to www.leeds.gov.uk/youchoose
If you are a group or business then please go to Talking Point Leeds or you can complete the word document from the download tab and either return by email to BudgetEvent@leeds.gov.uk , or by post to the address at the end of the document, free of charge.
In summary, the money the councils uses comes from
Council Tax - 14%
National Non-Domestic Rates - 15%
Revenue Support Grant - 0.3%
Specific Government Grant - 48%
Fees, charges and interest - 11%
Rents - 10%
Use of Reserves - 2%
At the end of November or early December, the government will announce how much funding local authorities will receive. This will form an important part of our initial budget proposals. We have a number of sessions between December and February when our Executive Board will allocate the budget across all our services. The results from YouChoose will feed in to these, so we can take your views into account from now until when the budget is set.
Further information about where the Council spends its money and where it gets its income from can be found by clicking here then clicking the download tab
