There is still time to make your voice heard on council services by filling in budget consultation survey

North Ayrshire Council is currently carrying out a budget consultation in the six localities across the local authority area.

The cost of living crisis, inflation and rising energy costs are impacting residents and businesses, and the council is not immune to these costs. Council leader Marie Burns admits that some 'tough choices' will need to be made when all councillors meet on March 1 to set the new budget for 2023-24. For the financial year 2023-24, the council is anticipating a funding gap of £10.2 million.

The survey – which has been completed by more than 1000 people so far - asks residents to rate services in order of importance, seeks views on schools and early-years centres and asks for opinions on the places we work and live in. You can also have your say on community facilities, highlight which services are most and least important to you and look ahead to what changes you would make in North Ayrshire in the coming years – whether this is linked to roads, education or decision-making.

You have until 5pm on January 30 to fill in thecCouncil’s budget consultation survey. This should take no longer than 15 minutes to complete and is available online here: https://bit.ly/3ZVK31b

And you can look over the Budget Briefing, which explains clearly where the Council’s funding comes from, how the budget is managed and the financial challenges ahead, online at https://bit.ly/3XHc3Uz

There is further information, including some animations explaining Council Tax, revenue, the budget and the cost of living here: https://bit.ly/3wu3a4Q