PEOPLE in Wiltshire are being invited to debate the unitary authority's plans for the services it will provide in the future.

A series of public meetings is being held around the county so Wiltshire Council leaders can hear their views.

The Focussing on the Future public meetings will be spread across four dates month.

The authority has already estimated it needs to make £15m savings in the next financial year and last month it challenged council taxpayers to use a budget simulator and have a go at the kind of tricky budget-making decisions faced by their elected representatives.

Leader Philip Whitehead said: “We want our residents to be passionate and engaged in our work and the services we provide and I hope we have a good cross-section of people attending.

“These meetings will help people get the all-important context to our decision-making process and some of the plans we have.

“I don’t just want to talk at people, I welcome people to have an honest conversation with us and challenge where they see fit.”

The first is on Tuesday at Salisbury, the next follows on January 9 at Chippenham and the final two are on January 15 and 16 at Trowbridge and Devizes respectively.

The meetings will be an opportunity to focus on how the council is changing to provide the services that taxpayers expect and need both now and in the years ahead.

Since 2017/18 it says it has cut has around £67 million from its budget by working more efficiently and prioritising services but more savings are sought.

Demand for services continues to grow, especially in social care, at a higher rate than the current budget.

The authority says this means strong financial planning is vital, as well as a programme of transformation, digitisation and commercialisation.

Wiltshire Council has also pledged to be carbon neutral by 2030 and its councillors have agreed to seek to make the whole county carbon neutral by the end of the new decade.