Clackmannanshire Council, like all councils, is facing further rising costs, reducing budgets and increased demand for services.

This year the council has a budget of £161.5 million to invest in services for the people of Clackmannanshire, along with a 20-year capital investment programme of £255m. The council will invest that funding in over 700 public services including education, social care, roads and transport, economic development, housing, planning, environmental protection and waste.

This funding, which comes from the Scottish Government (83%) and council tax (17%), is also used to provide services such as waste collection and recycling and to maintain our roads, footpaths and open spaces such as parks.

This year the council is facing a budget gap of £13.01m which means savings are unavoidable and levels of provision and service delivery in the future may look different.

Despite these challenges, the council said it is continuing to work hard through its Be the Future programme, to transform the local economy and tackle poverty and inequality, while driving sustainable change and ensuring financial stability.

Ahead of councillors taking decisions on the budget, the council wants to hear from as many residents as possible on the proposals.

The options include increased charges for council services and may also include an increase in Council Tax. Each 1% increase in Council Tax raises £255,500 in income. If it is increased by 8% the council would receive £2,044,000 in extra income, 12% would see extra income of £3,066,000 and 15% would raise £3,832,500.

Council leader, Councillor Ellen Forson said: “It is vitally important that as many of our residents as possible take part in the consultation. “We want to hear their views on these officer proposals and where they think the council’s limited resources should be focused before the difficult decisions are taken.

“Having a say only takes a few minutes and I would urge everyone to make sure their voice is heard.”

The engagement survey will remain online until Wednesday,12 February 2025.

The results of the engagement will be presented to councillors before they make the final decisions at a budget meeting in March.