Budget Prioritisation Survey 2026

Purpose of this survey

How the council’s budget works

The council is funded from a mix of sources, including Council Tax, business rates and government funding. This money is used to deliver a wide range of local services.

The largest share of our spending is on supporting vulnerable adults and children. This includes not just social care, but all the staff, buildings and support needed to deliver these services.

Every £1 matters

We make a choice about how every £1 is spent. By law, we must set a balanced budget, meaning we can’t plan to spend more than we receive.

Why this matters now

Like many organisations, we are facing rising costs and demand for services. The council is under significant and ongoing financial pressure, and the current position is not sustainable in the longer term without change.

This means we will need to make difficult decisions about how we prioritise our spending. Because resources are limited, investing more in some services will mean doing less in others. This survey asks you to consider these trade-offs when sharing your views.

Your role in shaping priorities

This short survey is your opportunity to tell us what matters most. Some council services must be provided by law and will need to be prioritised, while others are more flexible in how they are delivered.

Your feedback will help shape the council’s draft budget and will be reflected in the report considered by councillors when decisions are made. We will also publish a summary of what you told us and explain how this has been used to inform budget decisions on our website.

Have your say

The survey should only take a few minutes to complete - Please complete it by 2 August 2026.

Part of a wider conversation

This is the first step in a wider budget engagement process.

Your responses will be used to inform:

Together, this will ensure residents, communities and partners can meaningfully contribute to decisions about how the council’s budget is set.

Contact us

If you have any questions or concerns about this survey, or if you wish to submit your response in a different way, email ceconsultation@cheshireeast.gov.uk or call 0300 123 55 00.

Keeping your data safe

Any personal information you give us will remain private, be stored securely, and be used in line with the Data Protection Act 2018. To read more about how we use your data read our Privacy Notice.