Public asked which council services to axe

People in the south west of Scotland are being asked which public services their local authority should cut.

Dumfries and Galloway Council has saved £52 million since 2012, and is anticipating further cuts to its funding from the Scottish Government.

This year the council's income is £337 million, and 70 percent of that comes from the Government's Revenue Support Grant, therefore any cuts to this would have a significant impact.

The council is expecting to have to make £20 million of further cuts for 2017/18, and says it's already earmarked £10 million of savings by reducing management and staff costs, as well as reducing costs of services including council administration, and education services for children.

It is also considering using new powers to raise council tax by three percent.

This would mean the owner of an average property in Dumfries and Galloway (Band D) paying an extra £31 per year, and would raise £1.8 million for the council.

These measures are expected to plug around £11.8 million of the £20 million funding shortfall, meaning a further £8.2 million of savings is likely to be necessary.

Colin Smyth, a Labour MSP for the South of Scotland and local councillor, says the scale of the cuts means it can no longer just "trim back" services, and will have to look at cutting some services entirely.

The council is holding public consultation events over the coming weeks, and people can give feedback on where they think savings should be made by completing this survey.