Sandwell Council wants to hear from residents and businesses in the borough to help guide its spending plans for 2023/24.

The consultation will ask what local people’s priorities are for spending the council’s income from council tax, business rates, government grants and charging for services such as car parking. This comes to an annual total of over £500 million.

Approximately 70 per cent of the council’s net budget is spent on services for vulnerable adults and children. The remainder goes towards services such as street cleaning, road maintenance, libraries, leisure centres and waste and recycling collections.

The feedback provided through the consultation will help the council understand residents’ needs and what is most important for the local area. This will help ensure that the council continues to meet the evolving demands of the Sandwell community.

Councillor Kerrie Carmichael, leader of Sandwell Council said: “My ambition for Sandwell is to be a council that is totally focussed on the needs of our residents, where everyone can fulfil their potential and be proud to live here. Like all local authorities, we are facing significant financial challenges. We know that the pandemic has changed the way people need and use council services. That’s why we want to gather a wide range of views to ensure people who use our services inform and shape any decisions we make.”

The consultation survey is anonymous and confidential, and open until Sunday 28 August. To share your views, visit the survey website.

There is also another consultation open until Friday 16 September, asking for local people’s views on how Sandwell councillors are elected. Find out more here.