Crawley Borough Councillors have recommended savings of £670,000 for 2010/11 after asking residents what their priorities are.
Councillors on the Budget Advisory Group (BAG) met for the final time on Thursday evening (December 3) to put forward their recommendations on savings and growth options for the next financial year.
This is an important part of the annual budget process, which began with the council asking 250 residents about possible budget options.
One of the savings proposals put forward by many residents was a change to the programme mix at The Hawth, moving towards a higher ratio of commercial productions bringing in more income. The BAG has recommended a £50,000 increase in The Hawth’s income for next year.
Residents also indicated that they would like to see parks and open spaces improved and a growth proposal was put forward for £110,000 to be added to the tree maintenance budget. This also follows recommendations of the Trees Scrutiny Panel earlier this year.
Other savings will come from better management of the new community facilities in Bewbush, a management restructure in the Venture Play Service and various internal restructures and general running costs.
The BAG also earmarked a further saving of £100,000 for 2011/12.
Councillor Sally Blake, Chair of the BAG, said: “I’m delighted that residents played such a major role in identifying savings and helping the council to understand what residents want.
“They have helped inform decisions as to how the council spends its money in the next financial year.”
The recommendations from the BAG go to Cabinet on January 13 2010. Final decisions on the 2010/11 Budget will be agreed by the Cabinet on February 10 2010 and by the Full Council on February 24 2010.
If you have any comments or questions on the BAG call 01293 438263 or email finance@crawley.gov.uk
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