We are undertaking a Big Conversation with the general public to help explain and consider the impact of ongoing funding reduction on us and the services we currently deliver. Ultimately this involves the removal of all central government funding and the movement to a self-sustaining financial model whereby our services are delivered only within the funds that can be generated locally.

In addition to the wider aspirations of the Big Conversation, we also need to consider and set our budget for the next financial year (2016/17), which runs from 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017. To do this, each year we undertake formal consultation on the budget proposals that are being put forward. While this budget consultation is more formalised and focuses only on the 2016/17 Financial Year, it makes sense to link this process to the Big Conversation,

On Wednesday 28 October 2015, we presented our Financial Strategy for 2016/17 – 2020/21. The financial strategy identified that savings of £32.8m are required to balance the books in 2016/17. We have currently identified savings proposals of £23.1m as detailed below and the remaining balance will be managed in-year by the use of one-off resources.

For further information on why it is necessary for us to make these savings and greater detail on how we have come to the proposals, please read through the information provided in the Big Conversation.

We are now seeking the views of residents, partners and businesses on the specific saving proposals outlined in the Financial Strategy for 2016/17. The consultation is your opportunity to tell us what you think about the 2016/17 proposals, and about any impacts we may not have already considered in our impact assessments.

This consultation will run alongside the Big Conversation and will directly inform the final budget proposals for 2016/17.

It will still be possible to comment on proposals after this closing date above, for example by attending relevant Council meetings.

Any feedback received between 30 January 2016 and 9 February 2016 will be provided verbally to Cabinet which sits on 10 February 2016 and will be considered before the final Financial Strategy and Budget 2016/17 Report is approved by Full Council on 25 February 2016.

To access the feedback survey, click on the "How to get involved tab" at the top of this page.