Reckon you can do better than Kirklees Council?
The challenge to balance the council’s books has been put to all residents.
Running until December 23, a budget simulator is asking people to consider how they would tackle the council’s £25m funding gap.
So far, about 200 people have had a go at slashing or boosting different departments’ multi-million-pound budgets .
The chance to increase council tax is also there – but it’s sure to make you unpopular.
Every time a change is made, the user can see how it will affect services, in order to help them make the right decision.
The simulator also has a space for comments on how people found the task of balancing the council budget .
Responses so far include: “It’s difficult to balance this very tight budget – I don’t envy councillors with their task, they need to be radical.”
“Some difficult decisions. Feels uncomfortable.”
“Sometimes you have to do what’s right, not what’s easy”
A spokesperson said: “The council wants as many people as possible to try to balance the budget so that we can understand what matters to people across Kirklees.”
Councillors are currently working on setting a four-year-budget but have already said they could be as much as £42m short by the time 2021 comes around.
Try out the budget simulator at https://kirklees.budgetsimulator.com/
