Have your say in how council plans spending
EARLY next year, Kirklees Council will decide its budget for 2022/23, mapping out how the council will spend more than £800million on local services and £250m in local infrastructure.
Covering areas such as bin collections, social care services, education, libraries and many other things that make our communities cleaner, greener and safer – the budget aims to cover key areas that residents in Kirklees rely upon.
Ahead of this decision, the council is calling on residents to have their say to make sure they’re addressing the issues that matter most to you.
With much of the council’s agenda already spelled out in the recently published ‘Our Council Plan,’ the survey hopes to clarify areas that need more support and to identify issues at a community level that the public would like to see addressed.
The short survey, available online, talks about the council’s aims for the borough, and how they plan on getting there. There is also an option to say how much you agree with the plans to tackle each aim, as well as a free text box for you to explain your answers or mention anything you think they might have missed.
Residents are also being asked to feed into their short-term recovery plan, which focuses on how the council can bring essential services back.
Clr Shabir Pandor, Leader of Kirklees Council said: “As we focus not just on recovery, but on the future of our great places, we want to bring everyone with us. We’ve already worked to create a plan that leaves no-one behind, but to really do that, we need to hear directly from residents.
“Residents need to be at the heart of the plan, process, and delivery if we really want to succeed. So please, let us know what you think.
“Something we have taken from the pandemic is that in the urgency of responding to a crisis, everyone worked together.
“I personally feel like part of a much bigger conversation now, and I don’t want that to end, I want to bring more residents in.
“Together we can make our places better.”
Clr Paul Davies, Cabinet Member for Corporate also added: “We recently agreed on our council plan for the next year, and it’s a plan we believe will improve outcomes for everyone. But we need to check in with those that live and work in Kirklees to make sure our aims are matching theirs. I would encourage everyone to take part in this engagement. It’s an opportunity to have a say on your place, to give your ideas.
“But more than that, it’s an opportunity for the council to listen to residents and for us all to be on the same page.”
The survey itself can be found at: kirklees.gov.uk/yourbudgetyoursay.
Residents who don’t have access to the internet, are encouraged to visit their local library who will support them to access the survey using one of the free library computers.