BROMLEY Council wants you to have your say on the tough choices it will face when setting next year’s budget.

It must make more than £30m in savings over the next four years in addition to similar savings made in the last two years.

Public meetings will be taking place in Beckenham, Bromley and Orpington, next month so people can have their say about what the council should spend its money on.

Three evening meetings will be held from 7pm to 8.30pm at the Civic Centre in Bromley on November 7, Orpington Methodist Church on November 8 and Citygate Church in Beckenham on November 19.

And a further meeting will take place at the Civic Centre from 11am to 12.30pm on November 22.

Council leader Councillor Stephen Carr said: “In the next four years we have to save more than £30 million in addition to similar savings made over the last two years with further uncertainty about government funding into the future.

"Be assured we are challenging everything we do and how we do it, striving for ever greater efficiencies and to give you value for every penny spent - as such we are one of the lowest spending councils in London.

"But we have to recognise these year on year cuts are at a time of increasing demands for services to support the vulnerable in our community, when the cost of waste disposal is rising, when there will be a shortfall of over £2m from the government as we localise council tax benefit, when we face losing money under the academy programme - and the list goes on.

"Of course we are exploiting every opportunity to generate income and we argue, and will continue to argue, we need a fairer deal for Bromley in terms of government funding.

"But that said, we have to be realistic and open about the increasingly tough choices we all now have to make.

"Yes, we remain committed to our vision of Building a Better Bromley, yes we will do all we can to protect frontline services.

"But faced with this magnitude of savings we have to ask some difficult questions.

"For instance should we continue to keep all our libraries open?

"Should we keep maintaining our parks and gardens?

"Should we keep the same level of youth provision?

"How do we provide care for increasing numbers of older people with complex needs?

"And we have to ask you as taxpayers whether you would be prepared to pay a small increase in council tax to maintain such services?

"There are no easy choices only increasingly tough ones and it is vital we hear your views on the future shape of your council.”

Go to bromley.gov.uk/publicmeetings or call 020 8464 3333 for more details.