To agree budget priority consultation arrangements to inform the budget setting process for 2018/19 development of the medium term financial strategy (MTFS).

The cabinet member for financial management and ICT introduced the report. The chief finance officer stated that the planned consultation exercise was similar to that carried out in the past and would be primarily a digital consultation, supplemented by use of existing meetings with stakeholder groups.

Group leaders were asked to give the views of their groups.

The leader of the It’s Our County! group advocated working in partnership with town councils and larger parishes to build a budget rather than take a top down briefing approach. It was suggested that ward members could help facilitate this.

He also suggested that questions on levels of council tax should enable respondents to see and respond to what any rise in council tax would actually be spent on.

He stated that an entirely online consultation would fail to include those most in need of council services. The equality duty section of the report did not mention any of the demographics who might not be able to take part in an online questionnaire.

The cabinet member for financial management and ICT responded that any local councillor could engage with local events or bodies to give feedback on the budget consultation. The planned level of engagement took account of time constraints on council officers. He noted that online consultation was becoming the default medium for many organisations and that use should be made of greater online access.

The cabinet member for health and wellbeing stated that the planned consultation was at a high level and that where there were specific proposals for changes to services more targeted consultation would take place in ways which would take account of the needs of the service group.

The cabinet member for infrastructure stated that the investment made in broadband for the county should lead to a digital by default approach and that he had not received any feedback at parish meetings to say that residents were unable to respond to online questionnaires.

The leader of the Liberal Democrat group queried what difference the proposed tiered approach would make. The leader of the council responded that there were differences in providing services in the city, the market towns and the very rural areas of the county. The three tiers proposed would allow adjustments to be made in design and delivery of services to even out these differences.

Resolved:

THAT:

(a)  the approach for consulting on budget priorities for the coming four years and the capital programme and budget proposals for 2018/19 as set out in the report be approved.