Teenagers have their say on cuts
TEENAGERS in Bungay have been among the first people to have their say on the future of decision-making in Waveney.
Waveney District Council launched its What Would You Do? campaign last week, inviting people to share their ideas about how money can be saved locally.
About 60 year nine students at Bungay High School took on the challenge of the interactive budget simulator on Tuesday, using a virtual reality game to see how they could manage the council’s budget and make cuts.
Bungay Town Hall was also the location for the first in a series of public events hosted this week as part of Local Democracy Week, giving people the chance to learn more about the role and work of councillors. All councils and public bodies will find out next week how severely they will be affected by national spending cuts, but Waveney is already gearing up for an expected reduction of up to 30pc in its budget through the government’s comprehensive spending review.
Council leader Mark Bee said it was important to engage young people in the consultation. “Children and young people need many of our services just as much as adults and by going into schools and talking to pupils about spending in this tough financial climate, we can help them better understand some of the tough decisions we will have to make,” he said.
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He added: “We have been given fair warning that the spending review will take a strong line on public spending and that we must expect some real pain.
“However it is important that we carefully analyse the decisions taken by government and help our communities to understand what it might mean for them and the services they come to rely on.”
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To have you say in the What Would You Do? campaign, visit www.waveney.gov.uk for more information, a link to a new Facebook page, a survey and an interactive budget simulator.
Consultation events are being held at the Friends Meeting House in Beccles from 4pm to 7pm on Thursday, October 28, and at St Mary’s Church Hall in Steeple Road, Halesworth, also from 4pm to 7pm on Thursday 28.
