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Your Services - Your Say: Budget Consultation 2015/16

What do you think of our services?

Q1 In the last year have you used any of the following services funded by the council? (Please tick all that apply)
Q2 South Gloucestershire Council is a key provider of public services locally, so we would like your views on some of the main services it provides.  How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with each of the following services provided or supported by South Gloucestershire Council?
  Very satisfied   Quite satisfied   Neither satisfied or dissatisfied   Fairly dissatisfied   Very dissatisfied   Don't know / Not used  
  Care for older people            

  Care for physically disabled and those with learning difficulties            

  Children's social services            

  Customer services            

  Environmental health and trading standards            

  Housing advice services            

  Highways and roads            

  Libraries            

  Local bus services            

  Parks and open spaces            

  Planning            

  Public Health (not including NHS services)            

  Schools            

  Sport and leisure facilities            

  Waste and recycling services            

  Welfare benefits and council tax reduction for which the council is responsible            

The Council Savings Programme

Like all local authorities we face significant financial challenges as national austerity measures continue. During the last four years we have reduced our spending by nearly £43m (from a net budget of £190m) through efficiency measures and this has helped us to protect frontline services from spending reductions while delivering better value for money to residents. At the same time we have frozen council tax for the last four years, supporting local residents through the period of austerity.

We now need to reduce our spending by a further £40m by 2019/20 and have already provisionally identified £36m of these savings. This is a significant amount, and will involve far-reaching changes to our role as well as the services we provide. We will become a smaller council, delivering fewer services, and will need to review our priorities to make sure our more limited resources are focused on our ‘core’ activities. At the same time we will look to work more closely with local communities, strengthening and encouraging communities to take greater responsibility for local services to ensure that people's needs are met. Your answers to this survey will help shape the council's decisions in relation to future service provision.

Q3 The council has identified the core services that in future it will focus its limited resources on delivering. How strongly do you agree or disagree with these core service areas?
  Strongly agree   Tend to agree   Neither agree or disagree   Tend to disagree   Strongly disagree   Don't know  
  Delivering jobs, homes and infrastructure            

  Improving educational outcomes            

  Maintaining safe and clean communities            

  Closing the gaps - income, education & health            

  Safeguarding vulnerable children and adults            

  Meeting assessed needs for children and adults            
 
Q4 In the future, the council will need to find ways to make services more affordable as it adjusts to its more limited resources. How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following approaches?
  Strongly agree   Tend to agree   Neither agree or disagree   Tend to disagree   Strongly disagree   Don't know  
  Targeting resources on the most vulnerable and people most in need            

  Reducing the quality of some services provided            

  Increasing fees and charges for some services            

  Making more services available online            

  Making more efficient use of council assets such as land and buildings            

  Scaling back or stop providing some services            

  Stopping provision of some discretionary services to protect services to older people and the vulnerable            

  Changing working practices to make better use of technology and more efficient ways of working            

  Working in partnership and sharing services with other councils and public sector agencies            

  Transferring services to other organisations like commercial companies            

  Transferring services to other organisations like community groups, social enterprises and town and parish councils            

  Encouraging more people to volunteer their time to become involved in the delivery of services            
Q5
Q6
Q7

Council tax

The council is considering its council tax levels for 2015/16 and future years.
The council has no control over the council tax collected on behalf of the police, fire services, or parish and town councils. Each of these bodies will make their own  independent decisions.

The maximum amount the council can raise its council tax by next year is expected to be limited to 2% unless we hold a referendum of residents. South Gloucestershire Council's element of the Council Tax has been frozen for the past four years and the council’s current budget planning assumption is for a council tax freeze for a fifth year in 2015/16, followed by a 2% p.a. increase in subsequent years.
A 2% increase would add about £25 (just under 50p per week) to the average band D annual council tax bill for South Gloucestershire Council services.

To increase council tax above 2% we would need to hold a referendum of residents. The cost of holding a referendum would be approximately £500,000. No council has taken up this option to date.

The government has indicated it will provide the option of a council tax freeze grant (equivalent to a 1% council tax rise) next year. If councils limit their underlying council tax increase to 1%, they will be eligible for the council tax freeze grant and can thereby freeze their council tax levels for 2015/16.

Q8 Which of the following options would you prefer?

What do you think of your local area and the council?

Throughout this survey we ask you to think about “your local area”. When answering, please consider your local area to be the area within 15 to 20 minutes walking distance from your home.

Q9 Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with your local area as a place to live?
Q10 Over the past 2 years, do you feel that South Gloucestershire has become a better place to live, is the same or is worse?

Your local area receives services from South Gloucestershire Council. South Gloucestershire Council is responsible for a range of services such as refuse collection, street cleaning, planning, education, social care services and road maintenance.

Q11 Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the way South Gloucestershire Council runs things?

In considering the next question, please think about the range of services South Gloucestershire Council provides to the community as a whole, as well as the services your household uses. It does not matter if you do not know all the services South Gloucestershire Council provides to the community. We would like your general opinion.

Q12 To what extent do you agree or disagree that South Gloucestershire Council provides value for money?
Q13 To what extent do you agree or disagree that South Gloucestershire Council keeps you informed about the services it provides?
Q14 To what extent do you agree or disagree that South Gloucestershire Council keeps you informed about any proposals for change?
Q15 To what extent do you think South Gloucestershire Council acts on the concerns of local residents?
Q16 How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
I can influence decisions affecting my local area.

Your comments

Q17
Q18 Are you responding as?
 

About you

This section is really important as it helps us to understand more about the people who use council services and may be affected by any changes to the council's budget.  Any responses to these questions will remain confidential, individuals will not be identified and personal details will not be published.

Q19
Q20
Q21
Q22
 
Q23

Thank you for telling us your views, please press the submit button below to send us your response

 
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