City seeking residents' ideas for budget-cutting campaign

As reported in the Yorkshire Post last week, Sheffield Council has plans for a Sheffield Big Debate which was officially launched by council leader Paul Scriven yesterday.

He was joined by finance spokesman Simon Clement-Jones, and the authority said the exercise would give residents their opportunity to say where they think savings could be made starting with next year's budget beginning in April 2011.

People from the business and voluntary sectors are also being

encouraged to take part and ideas are welcome until September.

The council has already reduced its budget down by 6.5m this current financial year ending in March 2011 and is faced with the challenge of having 210m less in funding coming in by 2015.

"Sheffielders are inventive and creative. We'll all have to work together to get through the tough times ahead and we're calling for ideas on where money can be saved in the future," said Coun Scriven.

"We want people to get in touch and tell us what they think – whether it's a money-saving idea, how something could be done differently or indeed if we do less to help balance the books.

"We don't always have every answer and there will be some bright ideas out there that will make the inevitable pain we'll go through in the years ahead a bit more palatable."

Ideas can be sent via e-mail to [email protected], or in writing to Sheffield Big Debate, Sheffield Town Hall, Pinstone Street, Sheffield S1 2HH.