As I’ve been speaking to people about our Budget Simulator this year,  it’s become clear that many councils and other authorities are facing difficult decisions on their budget plans. Many authorities are left only with the choice of which services to cut back on and by how much – just search “Council Cuts” on the BBC to see the ever-growing list of councils in this position.

This situation makes public involvement and consultation all the more important and all the more challenging: the difficult choices need to be communicated to the public, whose preferences must be taken into account and balanced with the realities of implementation.

It’s been fascinating to see how two authorities, Barnet and Exeter, are using customised versions of Delib’s Budget Simulator this year, designed specifically to assist in the public involvement process around budget cuts:

Case study: Barnet
The brief: Like many councils, Barnet were looking at a year in which spending could not increase in any service areas. They wanted to to use the Budget Simulator to manage expectations and gauge the services where the public would want spending to be maintained, or where they thought spending could be cut from.

The solution: Delib customized Barnet’s Budget Simulator to reflect the context of the council’s next financial year.
Respondents were asked to indicate in which spending areas they would lower spending and in which areas they would wish for it to remain the same – they were not able to increase spending in any area. The result was a Simulator that managed the public’s expectations and enabled them to have an influence on the difficult year ahead.

See it: http://www.budgetsimulator.com/demo_barnet

Case study: Exeter

The brief (In their own words): “Exeter is faced with having to make some very difficult budget decisions… We are very keen to involve and engage with residents during the budget setting process. The Council is therefore inviting people to have their say on how the Council can save £1 million from its budget by using an online Budget Simulator…The Budget Simulator is quick and easy to set up and use and the information it provides can be downloaded and ready to use instantly” (Andy Stark, Head of Treasury – Exeter City Council)

The solution: Delib built Exeter a Budget Simulator where respondents had to achieve a 5% overall reduction in their budget spend. They could still increase spending in service areas, demonstrating the most integral areas for them, but could only submit their budget once the saving had been achieved. This allowed for a relevant response to be gathered, whilst involving the public allowing them to prioritizing the services that mattered the most.

See it: http://www.budgetsimulator.com/demo_exeter

Given the extent of the current economic downturn, it’s unlikely that cuts to spending on services will be eased any time in the near future. With this in mind, its great to see  councils such as Barnet and Exeter taking early steps to understand the public’s priorities, whilst engaging and managing their expectations, through these difficult periods.