Decision details

The Service Director, Democratic Services & Communication informed Cabinet of the proposed approach to resident engagement and consultation in respect of the 2022/23 budget setting process, which looked to provide residents with the opportunity, via a range of methods, to provide feedback to the Cabinet on the budget setting process.

Members were advised of the proposed approach considered which would be taken forward across 2 phases.  The first phase would take place in the autumn of 2021 and would aim to collect views on investment priorities, council tax levels and efficiency savings.  Phase 2 would take place early in the New Year and provide opportunity to engage with residents on the draft strategy proposed by Cabinet.  The Service Director advised that the specific dates were dependent on the release dates of the Welsh Government Settlement.

The Deputy Leader spoke of the importance of the engagement with the public in respect of the Council’s budget and spoke of the options available to undertake such engagement through a mixture of online and face to face engagement.

Following discussions, it was RESOLVED:

1.    To support an online approach to the Council’s budget consultation for 2022/23, using the Councils new Let’s Talk Engagement website along with the re-introduction of some face-to-face events in the community. Agreed that as part of the suggested approach, the Council will continue to provide alternative means of engagement for those having reduced or no access to the Internet and those who prefer to engage through traditional methods.

2.    To support the Council’s statutory requirements regarding consultation on the Council Tax Reduction Scheme and Council Tax levels, which will be met via the proposed approach.

3.    To support the budget consultation process taking place during the autumn of 2021, with the dates to be confirmed following clarification of the Welsh Government budget settlement timescales.

4.    To authorise the Service Director – Democratic Services & Communications to plan the necessary timeline of engagement once the details of the Provisional Local Government Settlement are known, in consultation with the appropriate Cabinet Member & Director of Finance & Digital Services.