THERE is still time for Hampshire residents to have their say on proposals to change or reduce local services across the county.

The future services consultation, which opened at the beginning of the year, closes at 11.59pm on March 31.

The consultation aims to help Hampshire County Council address a £132m budget shortfall faced by April 2025.

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Andover Advertiser: Hampshire County Council (Picture: David George)Hampshire County Council (Picture: David George)

Cllr Rob Humby, the leader of the county council, said: “Hampshire has always taken a very careful and responsible approach to managing public money effectively on behalf of the county’s 1.4 million residents.

“But with rising costs and demand in vital areas such as children and adults’ social care, our funds just don’t stretch as far as they used to. This is a situation many other local councils also face nationwide, and ever since I became leader, I have lobbied hard for crucial national changes that are needed to how local government is funded as the situation simply isn’t sustainable, and many councils are now facing major budget pressures in the future.

“Hampshire is in a better position than many other councils however, having spent over a decade focused on working differently and even more efficiently, generating income and sharing resources with other public sector organisations, as well as disposing of land and buildings we no longer need. Plus, our reserves have proven to be a financial lifeline to plug budget shortfalls along the way.

“However, by 2025/26, those reserves will come to an end, so we’re left with the very difficult decision of what services we continue to deliver in future if we’re to ensure we can keep supporting those residents who desperately need our help the most – children at risk of harm, abuse or neglect, adults and children with disabilities and additional needs and higher numbers of older people with very complex social care needs.”

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Areas being consulted on include adult social care charges, adult social care grant schemes, Hampshire Cultural Trust Grant, highways maintenance, homelessness support services, household waste recycling centres, library stock and school crossing patrols.

The consultation can be completed by filling out a form on the county council’s website. Alternatively, responses can also be emailed to the council via insight@hants.gov.uk or mailed to Freepost, Hampshire (PandO, IEU, FM09 should be written on the back of the envelope).

Easy read and braille versions of the forms are also available. The feedback will be used to inform decisions by the county council’s cabinet this summer.