Take the North Ayrshire Budget Challenge

The North Ayrshire Budget Challenge has now closed. 

North Ayrshire Council, like other local authorities, continues to face financial challenges in providing good quality services and ensuring we remain financially sustainable for the future.

We have a limited budget and, with costs and demands for our services increasing, it will only go so far.

Which is why we are asking you to have a go at balancing the Council’s budget. What services matter to you most? Which services do you think we should protect? Which services do you think we could reduce?

Our budget simulator is easy to use and allows you to reduce spending across council services and see the consequences of your choices. This will help us understand what is important to you when we come to set a legal budget.

The ‘Total Expenses’ shown in the simulator are based on this year’s Council budget plus the forecast budget gap.  As next year’s budget is still to be set, these are indicative figures only.

User Information:

• Click on the i icon next to the service title on each page to find out more about what that service delivers. Once you have read this information, use the x on the top right of the screen to return to the simulator.
• Click on the more option to the right of each slider to see what the impact would be as you reduce the budget for that area. Once you have read this information, use the x on the top right of the screen to return to the simulator.

The consequences presented in this Budget Challenge are indicative.

Our aim is to increase people’s awareness of the council’s budget and understanding of the difficult choices councillors must make when setting a budget. It also gives residents a chance to tell us where their priorities might lie if they were the ones making the decisions.