Police seek help with balancing act

South Yorkshire Police Authority is currently faced with making savings of more than £40m over the next four years and, as a result, is inviting people to use an online budget simulator available via “YouChoose.”

Those visiting the website are challenged to keep to the overall budget of £257m, with any increases in spending on particular areas needing to be balanced elsewhere to avoid a rise in council tax.

Police authority chairman Charles Perryman said: “The budget simulator was a very useful tool last year as it helped identify the real issues that matter the most to people.

“It is more important than ever that we direct resources to the areas which are most important to the people of South Yorkshire, and for this reason we would like people to give us an indication of where they think we should spend our money by logging on to our budget simulator.

“We want to hear from as many people as possible – their valued contributions will help us shape future policy.”