Ever wished you could tell councillors and officers to their faces what you think of plans to cut services like meals on wheels, libraries and street cleaning?
Now is your chance to do exactly that by speaking directly to the people in charge of spending taxpayers’ money.
There will be two public meetings in February to which Luton residents are invited to meet senior councillors and officers and find out more about changes to council services.
These services include community centres, meal services for older people, school transport, libraries, street cleaning, highways, parks, conceessionary travel and children’s centres – all of which are at risk as the council grapples with its budget.
Leader of the council, Councillor Hazel Simmons said: “Because of Government spending cuts, the Council is having to save around £48 million over the next three years. While we are doing everything possible to mitigate the impact of this, the reality is that we simply cannot make up that amount of money through efficiencies alone and it is inevitable that some services will be affected.
“We are however doing all we can to find out how the things we are considering would affect the people of Luton. That is why we are holding these public meetings and your views really matter to us.
“These meetings are not a case of us telling you what we have to cut and why. They are an opportunity for us to gain valuable feedback from residents.
“If you feel that there is a way that we can deliver a better service for less money, then we really want to listen to your thoughts.”
The meetings take place on Monday February 11 at Futures House, from 2-3.30pm (doors open at 1.30pm) and on Wednesday February 13 at Farley Junior School, from 6.30-8pm (doors open at 6pm).
Residents can also let the Council know their opinions by visiting www.luton.gov.uk/yoursay and completing questionnaires on a number of ongoing consultations. Paper copies of the questionnaires are also available by ringing 01582 54 60 11.