Budget consultation 2008
| Purpose | To obtain an indication of the service areas that residents believe should be budget priorities for 2009/2010; and to obtain an understanding of what residents perceive to be an acceptable level of increase in Council Tax for 2009/2010. |
|---|---|
| Subject |
Budget and council priorities |
| Commissioned by | Phil Maynard - Resources Finance |
| Geographic area |
All of Lancashire |
|---|---|
| Method |
Questionnaire - postal |
| Consultation with |
Life in Lancashire panel |
| Date | 11/06/2008 - 18/07/2008 |
| Undertaken by | Corporate Research and Intelligence Team, Policy Unit |
Results
| Number in sample | 3301 |
|---|---|
| Number of responses | 2553 |
| Response rate | 77% |
| Key findings | Highest priority services for spending in 2009/10: Services for older people (57%), primary and secondary education (53%) and crime prevention (50%) are seen as the highest priorities for spending in the next year. These were also the top priorities in 2006 and 2007. Lowest spending priorities in 2009/10: Museums are seen as the service that should be the lowest spending priority (47%). Welfare rights and adult education are seen as the next lowest priorities (33% and 30% respectively). Level of Council Tax increase: More than a quarter of the panel (28%) thought that the council should make no increase in Council Tax, with the consequence of significantly reducing service levels. Only just over a quarter (27%) of the panel answer they would be prepared to pay a 4% increase, (the figure closest to the county council's estimate of 4.3%, based on the budget forecast for 2009/10 at the time of the survey). The mean increase that all panel members would be prepared to pay is 2.4% (including the 28% who wanted no increase). Of those prepared to pay an increase in Council Tax, the mean increase panel members would be prepared to pay is 3.4% (72% of the panel). |
Project document(s)
Report(s)
Marked up questionnaire(s)
Contact information
For more information about this research contact:
Rebecca Robinson
01772 537787
rebecca.robinson@lancashire.gov.uk
Mick Edwardson
01772 530290
mick.edwardson@lancashire.gov.uk
Email: haveyoursay@lancashire.gov.uk