HAVE your say on how City of York Council should spend its budget.

A drop-in session takes place at West Offices today between 5pm and 7pm where residents and businesses can speak to council officers about what the local authority's 2019/20 budget should look like.

This includes funding for areas including parks, libraries, recycling and adult social care as well as how the authority collects money from council tax and business rates.

People can have their say by filling out a survey, available from West Offices and libraries, or completing a form online at york.gov.uk/budget by November 30.

Cllr Ian Gillies, leader of the council said: “It is so important that as many people as possible get involved and have their say. We know there are lots of differing views and we want to hear them and I look forward to meeting people at this event and having such discussions with them.

“We want the people of York to tell us how to prioritise our spending over the coming year. We need to save £4m which is a huge challenge given the fact that the council has saved £105m in the past decade.

“This all comes as we try to meet the changing needs of the city and manage demand increases. For instance, the cost of adult social care services continues to rise and next year as our population gets older."

Cllr Andrew Waller, deputy leader of the council, added: “It is incredibly important to us that we understand residents’ priorities for the city. Last year, the contribution of those who had responded to the consultation was very helpful in setting the 2018/19 budget. With that in mind, I would strongly encourage everyone to get involved and tell us what they think should be prioritised in the next council budget.”

“It is important that residents and business have an opportunity to feed directly into the budget setting process, as the budget will affect all areas of the council’s work.

“I would also like to thank those who have had already taken the time to send us their views and input into this process."