Consultation on Monmouthshire County Council’s 2014/15 budget continues this month with seven community meetings to be held in Abergavenny, Caldicot, Chepstow, Monmouth and Usk.
These will follow meetings held in October when the council invited residents to attend special community events and talk about the future of the county amid a backdrop of significant financial cuts.
With a budget of £160m, of which only £126m can be directly influenced, the council will need to find savings of at least £9m next year and a minimum of £20m over the next four years. Inevitably, this will have an impact on council services.
Meetings will be held in:
Caldicot Comprehensive School – Thursday, 9th January (6.30 – 8.30pm)
Caldicot town centre (drop in session) – Saturday, 11th January (10am – 3pm)
Chepstow Comprehensive School – Tuesday, 14th January (6.30 – 8.30pm)
Abergavenny Leisure Centre – Wednesday, 15th January (6.30 – 8.30pm)
Abergavenny Town Hall (drop in session) – Saturday, 18th January (10am – 3pm)
Monmouth Comprehensive School – Monday, 20th January (6.30 – 8.30pm)
Usk Centenary Hall – Tuesday, 21st January (6.30 – 8.30pm)
Monmouthshire’s cabinet met on December 18th to discuss next year’s finances and will meet again on 12th February before final budget proposals are put before a full county council meeting on 27th February.
Council Leader, Cllr Peter Fox said:
“There are some big decisions to be made over the next two months. Some of that will mean services change, stop or are run by other community groups. We need to help people understand the situation that we’re all facing and January’s community events will give everyone a chance to ask questions and be involved.
“We want to talk with our communities and listen to what matters to them. I urge residents to come to the forthcoming events and make their voices heard. Their input will be crucial in helping us focus our limited resources.”
