RESIDENTS in Teignbridge are being asked their views on what Devon County Council’s priorities for spending should be next year in the face of more swingeing cuts.

New government spending targets means the authority is looking at having to save a further £110 million in the next four years with £35 million of that from 2016 to 2017.

This is on top of the £174 million cuts in the last five years.

This means the county has a current net budget of £500 million to spend on important public services such as adult social care and road maintenance.

Now two surveys have been launched asking residents what they feel about the services the council provides and what they think should be a priority next year.

The responses will help the council make decisions about the way services are provided in future.

The Community Survey 2015 asks how easy or difficult it is for people to access council services now and get information and advice about them.

It also measures how much or how little people are able to help others access services or help out in their local communities.

That and the Budget Spending Priorities 2016 to 2017 survey are both available from the Have Your Say website.

The budget survey will ask, on a sliding scale, whether a service is considered essential or not a priority or whether funding should be protected or reduced.

At a time when the council is inviting communities to be more involved in helping deliver some local services such as grass cutting or weed clearing, jobs the council is now unable to do itself due to the funding cuts, the authority is also asking what it could do to encourage residents to come forward.

Cllr Barry Parsons, cabinet member responsible for engagement, explained: ‘It’s really important that we hear from residents about what they think about the services we provide.

‘It’s right to look at the impact that cuts to our funding have had so far on individuals and communities which is what our community survey hopes to gather.

‘And it’s right that we gauge people’s opinion on what the council’s priorities should now be.

‘It’s clear we are no longer able to do everything that we’ve been able to do in the past because of cuts to our funding so understanding what people think about their own role in making their communities good places to live and work is important.

‘Their responses to these surveys help us make difficult choices about the services we provide and how those services can be delivered in future.’