Budget consultation

Have your say on plans for millions of pounds worth of investments in services for Dudley borough residents.

Dear resident, These continue to be very challenging times for all of us and people are relying on our services more than ever before.

We have a wide-ranging plan of investments in children’s services and preventing children from going into care as much as we can. There is also money to tidy our streets and investments in our roads which you have told us need constant attention.

There is also money for the Red House Glass Cone, one of our most iconic tourist attractions.

Services for older and more vulnerable people continue to be a challenge particularly after one of the most difficult years on record, and we are pumping millions of pounds into those again this year,

You are vital in helping us to raise the money to pay for these investments year after year.

That is why we are looking to increase the basic rate of council tax by 1.99 per cent along with a 1 per cent increase specifically for adult social care, making a total of 2.99 per cent. That is about 65p per week for the average home* and people of this borough will continue to pay one of the lowest council tax rates in the country.

The money raised will not only help us provide high quality, value for money services, but also continue to protect and support older, more vulnerable people when they need it most.

As part of this year’s consultation, we want to know how you feel about services and which ones are most important to you. Please take the time to let us know what you think. Councillor Steve Clark, cabinet member for finance

NOTE: * Figure relates to Dudley Council element of the council tax only and for a Band B property

Q1	All of our services have been under intense pressure this year. Please rank the services below in the order you think we should be investing in them from 1 to 6 (1 being most important to you and 6 least important). You can only use each number once. Please rank every service.
		1		2		3		4		5		6
	Adult social care - older people and the care system	Adult social care - older people and the care system 1		Adult social care - older people and the care system 2		Adult social care - older people and the care system 3		Adult social care - older people and the care system 4		Adult social care - older people and the care system 5		Adult social care - older people and the care system 6
	Children's services - young people and children in care	Children's services - young people and children in care 1		Children's services - young people and children in care 2		Children's services - young people and children in care 3		Children's services - young people and children in care 4		Children's services - young people and children in care 5		Children's services - young people and children in care 6
	Health and wellbeing - ensuring people are healthy and well	Health and wellbeing - ensuring people are healthy and well 1		Health and wellbeing - ensuring people are healthy and well 2		Health and wellbeing - ensuring people are healthy and well 3		Health and wellbeing - ensuring people are healthy and well 4		Health and wellbeing - ensuring people are healthy and well 5		Health and wellbeing - ensuring people are healthy and well 6
	Regeneration and enterprise - building a better borough and boosting the economy	Regeneration and enterprise - building a better borough and boosting the economy 1		Regeneration and enterprise - building a better borough and boosting the economy 2		Regeneration and enterprise - building a better borough and boosting the economy 3		Regeneration and enterprise - building a better borough and boosting the economy 4		Regeneration and enterprise - building a better borough and boosting the economy 5		Regeneration and enterprise - building a better borough and boosting the economy 6
	Housing - tackling homelessness and private landlord enforcement	Housing - tackling homelessness and private landlord enforcement 1		Housing - tackling homelessness and private landlord enforcement 2		Housing - tackling homelessness and private landlord enforcement 3		Housing - tackling homelessness and private landlord enforcement 4		Housing - tackling homelessness and private landlord enforcement 5		Housing - tackling homelessness and private landlord enforcement 6
	Environment - improving our roads, recycling and open spaces	Environment - improving our roads, recycling and open spaces 1		Environment - improving our roads, recycling and open spaces 2		Environment - improving our roads, recycling and open spaces 3		Environment - improving our roads, recycling and open spaces 4		Environment - improving our roads, recycling and open spaces 5		Environment - improving our roads, recycling and open spaces 6

To ensure that only Dudley Council residents are included in the consultation please tell us where you live in the borough:

Q2	Postcode

Q3	House Number

About yourself (optional) We are asking for this information so we can assess responses by different population groups and see how the characteristics of consultation respondents compare to those of the borough population as a whole .

Q4	Your gender
	Male
	Female

Q5	Your Age
	Under 18
	18 - 24
	25 - 44
	45 - 64
	65+

Q6	Your ethnic group
	White
	Black
	Mixed
	Asian
	Other

Q7	Do you have a long term illness, health problem or disability which limits your daily activity?
	Yes
	No

Q8	We are always looking to improve, please use the space below with your suggestions on how we might do this. (Max 1,000 characters)

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