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Make YOUR Budget Comment

More than 200 residents give their views

6/1/15


More than 200 residents have responded to Rochford District Council’s Budget Survey – but we will need YOUR views.

The survey is crucial to because the Council needs to know where you feel your Council Tax should be spent.


The deadline for answering the questionnaire is Friday, January 16, and you will be helping us to decide on our budget priorities for the next 12 months.

Local Government authorities are currently facing some of the most financially challenging times in recent history, which means that we have to make difficult decisions on the services and level of service we provide. It has recently been announced that the main Government grant that supports the delivery of Rochford District Council’s services will reduce by 25% to £2.8m. (See below) Therefore, we want to ensure that the money we do get is spent on the services our residents want and value the most.


This year, the survey includes some new questions, including one around flooding issues. While the Council is not responsible for flood prevention, it has created the Forum for Surface Water Flooding Issues to seek to assist with resolving problems for residents. The District Council allocated £18,000 in 2014/15 for projects to alleviate flooding and we want to know whether you would be happy to see an increase in expenditure to resolve these types of issues, even where they are not the District Council’s responsibility.

Other questions include whether parking charges should be introduced at our parks and open spaces to help make up the budget shortfall.


The Leader of Rochford District Council, Councillor Terry Cutmore, said: “More than 200 residents and businesses have completed the Budget Survey so far and I would like to thank them for their responses, as your views will help shape the budget for the year to come. Due to cuts in our funding from Central Government, we are going to have some tough decisions to make this year, and it’s important that we make the right choices. Therefore, I would urge anyone who has not completed the survey to spare just a few minutes to fill it out.”


How to access the survey:

1. The survey is available online, simply log on to www.rochford.gov.uk/budgetsurvey

2. Hard copies of the survey are available in the reception areas of the Rochford District Council offices in South Street and the Rayleigh Civic Suite on Hockley Road;

3. Hard copies of the survey will be available in libraries across the District


4. If you are unable to fill in the survey by any of these methods then you can call the Council and we will ensure that you get one. Call Andrew Lowing on 01702 546366 or email: communityplanning@rochford.gov.uk


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Rochford District Council faces further cuts in its funding from Government. 

23/12/14


The main Government grant that supports the delivery of Rochford District Council’s services will reduce by 25% to £2.8m. 


The Council will receive a New Homes Bonus of £1.1m in 2015/16 which will have to be used to maintain services and make up some of the shortfall in funding.


Since 2011/12, the Council has made savings totalling £2.6m while at the same time protecting the services that our residents value.


Rochford District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Resources, Councillor Simon Smith said: “While we were expecting this level of cuts in our funding for 2015/16,we are in no doubt that funding will reduce in future years as austerity continues to affect public sector spending.  Rochford District Council will continue to meet the challenges of funding reductions while maintaining high quality services that are appreciated by our residents”


Leader of Rochford District Council, Councillor Terry Cutmore, said:  “We are acutely aware of the challenges that further cuts in our government funding sets us. We have a long tradition at Rochford District Council of offering our residents the best value for money for the best services. This is something we will continue to do, even in times of budgetary restraint.”