Budget Survey 2024/25

Overview

Our financial plans support the delivery of our strategic ambitions, as set out in the Council Plan.

An updated Council Plan will be presented with the Council’s financial plans in February 2024. We expect the updated Council Plan to continue with the themes of the existing Council Plan. These provide a strong framework for identifying our priorities. 

The themes are:  

• Clean, green future
• Fulfilling our potential
• Strong inclusive economy, transport and infrastructure
• Empowered, vibrant communities
• Good health and wellbeing
• Working together improving lives

We want to take this opportunity to get your feedback on key areas relating to our upcoming 2024/25 budget and also your own views on what our priorities should be under those six themes in the next Council Plan.

In completing the survey, please bear in mind that over recent years the rising rate of inflation has had a huge impact on the Council's costs, as have national pay awards (around 50% of our costs are staffing).

Our income, from government, Council Tax (around 20% of our income), and other sources has not kept pace with the increase in costs.

That has meant we've needed to make savings across almost all areas of our services to deliver the balanced budgets that we're required to by law. Increasingly that has meant finding different ways to deliver services (eg online), reducing our staff numbers and reducing things where we have flexibility to do so.

Why your views matter

Your feedback will be taken into consideration by Elected Members as part of the budget-setting process, alongside other information, including:

• service and performance data
• estimated service demand
• manpower and capital project costs
• anticipated funding from the Scottish Government

Every response will be shared with Elected Members.