IT is almost crunch time for east Cheshire residents to have their say on preferred financial savings and generation from 2017 to 2020.

The council has been consulting on the budget options for the next three year period, and residents are being encouraged to have a say on the current proposals.

Anyone taking part in the survey will be asked to comment on each ‘outcome’ laid out in the council’s pre-budget consultation report which can be found on its online portal.

The document says: “Setting out the council’s financial plans for the next three years is particularly challenging in the current public service environment. With financial pressures growing in the health and care sectors it should come as no surprise that the council must find different ways of working with residents and our partners and that we will require residents, where they are able, to make greater contributions to service costs.”

The proposals include increasing council tax by 3.99 per cent and there are a number of options regarding savings in various areas.

Outcome one will focus on communities, and could include cutting the environmental health, trading standards and animal health out of hours services that currently operates in east Cheshire, as well as transferring selected community centres into a ‘local management arrangement’.

The second outcome will focus on the economy, and includes a proposal to increase parking enforcement by hiring 10 more civil enforcement officers which the council reports could generate another £100,000 per year.

Outcome three will focus on education, with proposals including reviewing current school transport provisions and a review of the ‘short break provision’ for children with disabilities.

Environmental services reviews come under outcome four, in which the council discusses the potential closure of Household Waste Recycling Centres, including Croxton Lane in Middlewich.

Also included in outcome four is a proposed £3 million Winter Service Facility in Middlewich.

Outcome five, concerning health provisions, suggests strengthening the home adaptations team to help reduce the future demand on health and social services and increase revenue income.

The final outcome focuses on strengthening the borough’s finances by proposing to review the 700 contracts the council has with its service providers, as well as improving capital investments.

The consultation will close on January 10 and can be found at cheshireeast.gov.uk/council_and_democracy/your_council/council_finance_and_governance/cheshire_east_budget/cheshire_east_budget.aspx.