East Lothian Council Budget Consultation 2027-2028

1. Thinking about you, your family and your community, what are the three things you think East Lothian should work hardest to protect?

(Required)

Giving children the best start

Supporting people to live independently

Reducing poverty and financial hardship

Keeping communities safe

Protecting our local environment

Maintaining roads, transport and local infrastructure

Supporting strong and connected communities

Helping people into good work

Preventing problems before they become crises

Or it might be something completely different. Tell us what matters to you:

2. How should difficult decisions be made? There will be choices. When there isn't necessarily enough money to do everything in the same way as before, what principles should guide those decisions? Check all that apply:

(Required) Protect people experiencing the greatest need? Put more emphasis on prevention and early help? Redesign services and do things differently? Reduce duplication between organisations? Work more with communities, charities and local organisations? Use technology where it genuinely makes things easier? Charge more for some services where people can afford to pay? Protect local services even if that means making savings elsewhere?

3. What should we be careful not to lose? Sometimes saving money in one place can create greater costs somewhere else. A lunch club could be helping someone remain independent and connected. Early support for a family might prevent a much bigger problem later. A community organisation or volunteer might reach someone who would otherwise need more intensive support. A local place or activity may matter for people's wellbeing in ways that aren't immediately visible.

Are there things in your community where reducing support now could cause bigger problems later? Tell us what they are and why they matter.

4. What about council tax? Council tax is one of the ways local services are funded, although it represents only a quarter of the council's overall income. We want an honest conversation about this too. Would you consider paying more council tax if it helped protect the things you believe matter most? There is no right or wrong answer. We need to understand both what people might be prepared to contribute and the impact an increase could have on households.

(Required) I would not support an increase I would support an increase of up to £1 per week I would support an increase of up to £2 per week I would support an increase of up to £3 per week I would support an increase of up to £4 per week I would support an increase of up to £5 per week I would support an increase of potentially more than £5 per week It would depend on what the money protected Any increase would cause me financial difficulty I'm not sure

5. Could we do things differently? Saving money could mean making better use of the resources we already have rather than to stop doing something. There may be better ways for the council, NHS, communities, charities, businesses, volunteers and other organisations to work together. So we want to ask one final question:

If you could change one thing about how we work together in East Lothian to make the best use of the money, people and resources we already have, what would it be (we want your ideas as well as your concerns)?

We want to know what matters most