Focus group aims to help shape county priorities

RESIDENTS are being asked to take part in online focus groups which will help to shape Derbyshire County Council’s services and budget priorities for the year ahead.

The online focus groups are currently being arranged and Derbyshire residents who would like to take part are encouraged to find out more and register their interest.

People signing up will be able to get involved in discussions and give their views on a wide range of issues affecting them and the council, with the results feeding into the council’s annual residents’ survey.

The focus groups will be held via Zoom and are designed to give the council a greater understanding of residents’ satisfaction with how the council runs its services and how it sets its budget priorities, as well as topics including value for money.

Derbyshire County Council leader Councillor Barry Lewis said: “Due to the challenges we are all facing this year it is more important than ever that we know if Derbyshire residents think we’re getting it right, what changes they’d like to see and whether their priorities have changed from last year.

“While we’re encouraging people to take part in the Your Council Your Voice survey, we’d also like people to get more involved if they can and be able to go into more depth about their views.

“We’re hoping people from all walks of life, all ages and backgrounds will consider taking part in one of the focus groups so we get a really clear picture of what people think, what their priorities are and what they think we should be prioritising for the coming year.”

The online focus groups will run until Tuesday, December 8. To find out more visit www.derbyshire.gov.uk/ budgetfocusgroup2020