Next Wednesday cabinet will consider the proposed budget for 2016/17. We’ve reviewed the responses to the consultation and I am grateful to those who took time to make their submissions. Understandably, most of those replies have been urging the council not to go ahead with various proposals.

Let me set out the question that the council has to answer later this month: how can we produce a balanced budget, which is required by law, including making £19m of savings, and meet all of our other statutory requirements?

Most replies only referred to individual proposals. For example, if you use libraries, it may be the only thing that matters in what we have proposed; nothing else is as important.

If you have young children, it might only be the laws about access to schools or childcare that is significant while if you have elderly relatives, it could be the laws around the provision of care and support.

These are just the foothills of a huge statutory mountain, with accompanying regulations, which the council takes into account before setting and deciding the budget.

Another problem is that the council has to spend most of its budget on only a small proportion of the population. The notion that the Borough’s main role is primarily to deliver services that everyone could use is out of date.

Just under 70 per cent of the council’s budget goes towards caring for vulnerable elderly adults, looking after those with learning difficulties, protecting children at risk, and on public health.

These are not just statutory duties but are part of the core role of any government: to support those most in need who cannot help themselves.

However, we have to live within our means. Even in these care-based services, we have to make difficult but necessary choices about what we can afford. We have to recognise that there would never be enough money to do all the things we would like to do. We have to prioritise.

At the same time, the council has to look to the future. We cannot just batten down the hatches and hope that there will be a generous government handout in the future.

I make no apology that the budget will still commit money to the Council’s Vision, which is about continuing to improve our local economy and create wealth, as that will secure sustainable public services. Even after two months of public consultation, there is still time for any group or person to send in alternative budget proposals. The only unbreakable rule is that the final budget must balance. We have no choice in that.