Residents have hit out over difficulties accessing Perth and Kinross Council’s budget allocator.
Locals are worried their voices are “not being heard” amid problems finding the consultation tool on the council’s website.
The council recently launched a survey giving residents the opportunity to have their say on where cuts in the its budget should be made.
£10 million of savings need to be made but this figure could rise depending on how much money is allocated from the Scottish Government on Thursday.
An elderly Perth woman, who did not wish to be named, said she was upset about not being able to access the survey due to not having a computer.
She said: “I tried to find an offline version of the budget allocator, but the council don’t seem to have one available.
“It effectively means I haven’t been given a say in the public consultation.”
Several other residents have complained about difficulty finding the website, with little to no information available on the Perth and Kinross Council homepage.
Garry Barnet, of Guildtown, said he tried for several hours to locate the allocator on the council’s homepage, to no avail.
When he eventually found it, he said it was difficult to pinpoint exactly how the cuts would be implemented.
He said: “They have got to say where the expenditure is going to be cut, in a more simpler way. I feel it would be beneficial if they could provide information on salaries of those higher up in the council.”
A spokesperson for Perth and Kinross Council said: “The budget allocator tool is part of a suite of information on the budget webpage aimed at informing the public about where income comes from and where it is spent.
“The budget page has visualisation tools to help explain budget issues and raise awareness. As awareness grows, we are hoping to increase on the 91 responses that were received last year. As per 2016, results will be included in the revenue budget report to Perth and Kinross Council in February 2017.”
