Fantasy finance - play with the budget online

A new programme on the Rother website puts residents in the shoes of councillors, allowing them to make decisions about where local government finances should be spent and then see what impact their decisions would have on the community.

The free software forms parts of the council’s consultation on its budget for 2011/12.

Following cuts in its local government settlement, the authority is tasked with finding £1.7million of savings over the next two years.

The online software won’t implement the changes for real, but will give the council an idea of where the public thinks money should be spent and will also enhance understanding of the difficult job of balancing the budget.

Members of the public can also view Rother’s draft budget for the year, which still requires approval from full council.

Rother District Council leader Cllr Carl Maynard said: “It’s an important part of the process that residents can view our draft budget and make their comments.

“This software, provided at no cost to the council, will show people just what a difficult task we face in saving money without having too adverse an impact on areas of our community.

“The reality is that difficult decisions will have to be made in light of these cuts and it’s only fair to say the depth and range of Rother services will change as a result.”

• To take part in the budget consultation visit www.rother.gov.uk The software will be available to use from today (Friday).