Council stages first live online Q & A session as public invited to quiz Cabinet Member on budget.
This year the Council is embracing digital channels as part of its budget consultation process to encourage as many people as possible to join in the conversation.
Earlier this month the Council published its proposals for saving £196m over the next four years. The unprecedented scale of the savings required means that all areas of the Council are affected by the draft proposals. However, rather than simply ‘salami slice’ every service, the authority has developed a four year plan which will help protect the three key priority areas identified by the public and Members during last year’s budget consultation. These are services for the most vulnerable in society (including vulnerable adults, children, older people and the poorest), public transport, and road repairs and maintenance.
We want to hear the views of local residents, businesses and partners on where cuts and savings could be made and to come up with any suggestions for increasing income. As part of this consultation we are holding 19 consultation events across Cornwall during October to enable people to find out more about their budget proposals and to have their say. Details of the consultation events are available from our website.
As well as broadcasting a live webcast about the budget on the evening of September 30 from the Council Chamber, we are also hosting a live, two hour online question and answer session on Thursday, 25 September when Alex Folkes, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, will be available for people to ask questions on the budget and the future of Cornwall.
Using the Council’s existing live chat facility, Cover it Live, people will be able to take part in the live, online conversation both through our website and the main social media channels. There will be no complicated sign on process, people will simply be able to visit their platform of choice and submit a question or suggestion. The chat will then be shared across all the channels; live.
On 25 September Facebook users should go onto the Cornwall Council Facebook page where they can join the chat live between 12-2pm, while Twitter users can join in the same conversation using the hashtag #haveyoursay . On Facebook, users will have to click on the Cover it Live tab found directly underneath the page’s cover photo to access the chat.
For those not on social media but with access to the internet, the chat will also be available on the Council’s Have Your Say web pages at http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/public-participation-and-consultation/cornwall-council-budget-engagement-2014/
“This is the first time we will be hosting a live online chat across all the main digital channels “ said Alex Folkes. “More and more people are now choosing to have their say throughFacebook, Twitterand our website and this will give them the opportunity to ask questions and receive an immediate response .
I am certainly looking forward to taking part and I hope as many people as possible will log on and join in the online conversation”.
