RESIDENTS of the region will get their say on how the council should spend its money from the end of this month.
Councillors last week agreed to a budget consultation mandate for 2025/26 and future years.
This means Dumfries and Galloway Council will consult the people in a bid to ascertain where savings can be made.
They will share costed budget saving options and gather feedback in a variety of ways.
The results will be reported at a meeting of full council on December 12 and inform the decisions taken by councillors in setting spending plans for the future.
Dumfries and Galloway Council Convener, Cllr Malcolm Johnstone said: “Some extremely difficult decisions will need to be made to stay within our budget. Although we’ve saved £130 million over the past 15 years, we need to save £30 million more over the next three years and we’re committed to finding innovative solutions that work for everyone.
“The reality is we need to change, reduce or even stop some services and/or generate extra income from fees and charges.
“The council is committed to listening to the people of Dumfries and Galloway’s views in deciding its 2025/2026 spending plans. Their feedback will play a key role in shaping decisions about service priorities, potential savings and new opportunities to generate income – we value their input and want everyone to have their say.”
The consultation will begin on Thursday 31 October. There will be a dedicated budget consultation webpage from where people can fill in a survey, complete with costed budget saving options.
And an online Budget Challenge simulator will be available so people can explore which areas of council spending they want to save money from and which ones they don’t want to reduce.
In addition, there will be a series of Community Conversation drop-in-sessions in each area where people can speak to council employees.
Cllr Johnstone added: “Like many other councils, we’re facing a huge challenge, but with people’s help, we can overcome it. We look forward to hearing what the people of Dumfries and Galloway have to say and I would encourage everyone to take part and fill in the survey.”
