CASH-STRAPPED council bosses on the brink of making major savings are asking Echo readers to help set priorities.

In the face of council tax freezes and cuts from central Government, Gloucestershire County Council plans to make £29 million of savings in 2012/13, as part of the £114m it is trying to save by 2014.

But Councillor Ray Theodoulou, cabinet member for finance and change, yesterday insisted the aim was to protect all front-line services.

He said: "We're not planning dramatic cuts. Most of the pain will have come last year. There will be reductions to certain budgets, but nothing like with the libraries and youth service last year. We aim to provide a basic but good quality service and, to an extent, that has to be supplemented by working with local charities and others in the voluntary sector.

"Our message to people is tell us what your solutions might be."

He said adult social care was a particular concern for the council as the cost of looking after an increasingly aging population continued to increase.

He said: "We still need to make the savings. We need to find ways of doing that which will help us not impact on frontline services."

He added: "We have already delivered on our promise to save £30m last year, but the cheque we get from the Government is smaller again in 2012. This means making savings wherever we can and prioritising our spending on the services people most need.

"Before we make any decisions, we need to know what residents think about our proposals and I'd encourage as many people as possible to have their say. Between now and January 18 you can feedback directly to the council."

People can take part online at www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/budget2012 or can fill in the form that appears on pages 20 and 21 of today's Echo.

The consultation follows the cabinet having agreed a draft budget for 2012/13 of £389.94m, which represents a decrease in cash terms of £6.2m or 1.6 per cent. It includes there being no increase in council tax as the Government is to award a one-off grant to all local authorities that freeze council tax increases for the next financial year.

Shire Hall is into the second year of a four-year plan, called Meeting the Challenge, to save £114m due to cuts in Government funding.

HAVE YOUR SAY ON BUDGET PRIORITIES, P20-21