SIC budget plan invite

SHETLAND Islands Council and NHS Shetland are going online to invite local people to have a say on how they spend their money.

After last year’s Building Budgets exercise where a series of poorly attended public meetings were held to discuss the council’s spending priorities, this year the SIC is letting people contribute via the web.

The new internet-based budget planner will be open for contributions between 24 August and 6 September.

This comes in addition to seven public meetings to be held across Shetland later this month offering the chance for folk to share their concerns with council members.

Council leader Gary Robinson said that the online budget planner comes out of feedback from last year’s inaugural Building Budgets project.

“This is an innovative online model which it’s hoped will help encourage as many folk as possible to have their say on where money should be prioritised in 2016/17 and future years,” he said.

NHS Shetland will also take part in the public budget planning exercise through the new integrated Health and Social Care partnership.

Health board chairman Ian Kinniburgh encouraged anyone with an interest in how its funding is invested to contribute.

The meetings are at:
Lunnasting Primary School – 24 August (drop in session 4pm-6.30pm; public meeting 7pm-9pm)
Bressay Heritage Centre – 25 August (drop in session 4pm-6.30pm; public meeting 7pm-9pm)
Scalloway Primary School – 26 August (drop in session 4pm-6.30pm; public meeting 7pm-9pm)
Happyhansel Primary School, Walls – 27 August (drop in session 4pm-6.30pm; public meeting 7pm-9pm)
Baltasound Junior High School – 1 September (drop in session 4pm-6pm; public meeting 6pm-8pm)
Dunrossness Primary School – 3 September (drop in session 4pm-6.30pm; public meeting 7pm-9pm)
Skerries Primary School – 4 September (public meeting 1.30pm-3.30pm)

Anyone interested in getting involved with budget planning online should visit https://shetland.budgetsimulator.com/