What are your budgetary priorities?

Central Beds Council needs to cut its cloth by 28% following the spending review. We'd been expecting to make cuts of the order of 20% and the merger between South and mid-Beds was originally driven with efficiency savings in mind. Luckily for it, Council tax accounts for a higher proportion of income than the average local authority, so it's less dependent on money from central government than other authorities.

The Council's Executive has issued a first proposal of service reductions to include:

1. Reshaping the youth services with a greater emphasis on volunteering.
2. Halting funding to the music service so that schools and parents meet costs.
3. Discontinuing mobile library services, whilst retaining the Library Link service for house-bound users and those in sheltered accommodation.
4. Turning off street lighting between midnight and 6am.
5. Closing a supported employment workshop.

The budget setting process will conclude in February next year. During the coming months, people need to give views on what they view as priorities for keeping and for cutting.

To find out more about the budget strategy, log onto letstalkcentral.com and look out for the council’s magazine, News Central later this month.

I've heard from people concerned about possible cuts to budgets for children needing special support for their education; from those concerned about cuts to our music service; from people vehemently opposed to lights being turned out after midnight. So what are your priorities? Keep your views coming, please.