Subject: Have your say on East Renfrewshire Council’s 2018-2021 budget consultation

Dear Parents and Guardians,

East Renfrewshire Council is consulting on its budget for 2018-2021.   Your responses to this consultation will help shape councillors’ decision making about how our budget will be spent over the next three years.

 The Council’s budget covers a huge range of services, including education, schools, early learning and childcare, social care, roads, cleansing and housing.

While the Council does not yet know its exact budget, with the Scottish Government not due to confirm the annual grant settlement until December, ERC is expecting to have to make savings in the region of £26million between 2018 and 2021.  This is in addition to £37million of savings the Council has already made since 2012.

A range of proposed savings to meet the £26million shortfall has been published for consultation and is available at www.eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk/budget.   Parent Council Chairs have been invited to a series of meetings as part of the Budget Conversation, but we are keen to hear from as many parents as possible on the savings proposals set out in the Budget Booklet, a small number of hard copies of which are available in schools or at this link.

The consultation will be open until 28 November, with the final budget being decided by elected members at a meeting of the full council on 8 February 2018.

Many Thanks,

East Renfrewshire Council