Residents of West Dunbartonshire are invited to contribute their views for the council's 2025/26 budget.

People are able to join the Budget Conversation, which launched on April 15.

The council is facing a financial challenge, having made tough decisions in the previous month to close a £17m budget gap.

Now, with an estimated £10m shortfall for the next term, public input is being welcomed to ensure feedback on priorities for spending and saving are reflected in next year’s budget.

To participate, residents can share thoughts online or alternatively, attain a paper copy of the survey from libraries and council offices.

Questions posed in the Budget Conversation are designed to gain an understanding of what residents consider as the council's most vital services.

The information gathered will help shape how budgets for specific sectors such as education, roads and housing are allocated.

Community groups are also encouraged to join planned focus groups, where budget priorities will be discussed in more detail.

Councillor Martin Rooney, council leader, said: “We understand that residents are still feeling uncertainty around unavoidable council savings agreed last month and we don’t want to heighten that.

“But the truth of the matter is that due to reduced funding and increased costs, we expect yet another dire financial settlement for West Dunbartonshire in 2025/26.

“That’s why it is vital that we start working on solutions to mitigate the impact of this for our communities right away.

“It’s only possible to do that in an informed and meaningful way by first hearing from our communities about their priorities, needs and wants.

“I’m encouraging everyone to not only participate in the Budget Conversation, but to really think carefully about which of the services currently provided by the council is most important to them and ensure they reflect this in their answers.

“We are being realistic about our finite resources but will continue to campaign tirelessly for additional funding from the Scottish Government.”

Echoing this, deputy council leader, Councillor Michelle McGinty highlighted the importance of initiating the budget conversation early.

She said: “It is very important that we start our budget conversation early, so we have a clear idea of what our communities want and need most from us.

“We all use council services on a daily basis so we all have an opinion on what is working, how budgets should be divided and how savings could be made. We know that all of our services matter but this conversation will dig deeper by asking residents to clearly identify which aspects of those services they think should be made a priority."

Paper copies of the Budget Conversation are available from the council’s Church Street offices or local libraries.

The survey will be open for six weeks, concluding on May 27.

Information on participating in the forthcoming focus groups, scheduled for June, can be obtained by emailing engagement@west-dunbarton.gov.uk.