21/10/03 - Cumbria County Council consults with public on budget priorities

Starting next week Cumbria County Council will be asking people in Cumbria for their views on future priorities for spending and Council Tax using a new and innovative approach to consultation.  This new method will give people a real insight into the kind of difficult decisions the Council has to make and will allow them to decide where their own priorities lie based on real information. 

Called SIMALTO (Simultaneous Multi-Attribute Level Trade Off), the system's strength is that interviewees are given an accurate picture of the areas where the Council could invest more or less alongside accurate financial information on how much that investment would cost.  Interviewees make trade-offs between different services which will then highlight to the council what the publics priorities really are.  A common complaint when consulting on the budget is that people don't have enough information to make realistic decisions:  using this system they do. 

The Council has employed an independent market research company, called Research for Today Ltd, to carry out the consultation and they are looking to conduct 600 in home, face-to-face interviews with members of the public across Cumbria between 27/10/03 and 12/12/03. The consultation method has a proven track record in the UK and is an excellent way for council’s to get real insight into how local people really want their Council Tax to be spent.   

Deputy Leader of the Council, Mike Ash, says: 

“Using the SIMALTO system will help the County Council get a better understanding of what people in the County really want us to deliver – helping us improve Cumbrian’s quality of life. It is a real step forward from methods used in previous years and I am looking forward to seeing what people have to say. The feedback we get is going to be of real help when we come to make decisions on spending”   

48 electoral wards in Cumbria have been selected as the areas where interviews will take place. The wards have been selected to be representative of the County in terms of the rural/urban mix and also in terms of wealth distribution. Within the wards people will be invited to participate on a random basis by a trained interviewer who will visit them at home.   

The results of the consultation will be published in January 2004.   

This exercise is one element of the Council’s budget consultation plans. All residents will be given the chance to have their say on budget issues in the near future – so if you’re not asked for an interview don’t worry, you’ll still be able to have your say!