Residents invited to set budget with simulator

The simulator allows residents to have a go at setting the council's multi-million budget themselves

Residents are being given the chance to try and balance Dorset Council's books using an online budget simulator.

The tool allows residents to adjust spending across key services such as adult social care, waste collection, road maintenance, housing and libraries, as well as deciding whether to raise council tax.

The simulator gives users £479.4m to work with and sets a target to reduce spending by £35m to balance the budget. The council said it would "give residents a taste for the complex and difficult decisions councillors must make when setting the budget."

It takes about 10-15 minutes to complete and is online until 2 December. A paper version is also available in Dorset libraries.

Liberal Democrat councillor Simon Clifford, cabinet member for finance and capital strategy, said setting a balanced budget was "one of the most difficult tasks we face as councillors".

He said: "Dorset's older population means we have higher demand for adult social care, and our rural geography adds cost to delivering services.

"People using the simulator might choose to spend more on looking after older people in care, but that could mean spending less on fixing potholes.

"And if they prioritise potholes, they might face even tougher decisions, like closing libraries or recycling centres.

"It'll be interesting to see how the public approach setting their own budgets".

The simulator allows statutory services - those the council is legally required to provide - to be changed, but in real life might not be able to be adjusted as this might be illegal.

The council said: "For the purposes of the exercise, we thought it was important to give this flexibility."

The authority said it delivered about 450 services to 380,000 residents but receives less than 2% of its income from central government.

Most funding comes from council tax and business rates.

The council said the simulator was not a vote or formal consultation, but an engagement exercise to help the council better understand residents' priorities and values.