SOMERSET County Council are hitting the road this summer and they want to know your views on key issues in the area.

This is the fourth year the council has run its ‘Listening, Learning, Changing’ roadshows, asking people to try their hand at balancing its budget on a giant set of scales.

As well as the balancing act, people can also show their top priorities by placing coins in ‘Think Tanks’ and completing a short questionnaire.

“Each year these events give us the chance to speak to thousands of residents and get their views on some of the key issues for the County Council,” said Councillor John Osman, Leader of Somerset County Council.

“We are ambitious and looking positively to the long-term with initiatives like the Vision for Somerset, but once again huge reductions in funding from central Government and pressures caused by an ageing population mean we also have significant savings to make.”

Central Government funding for the County Council fell by £15m last year and is due to fall by a further £42m by 2019/2020.

Cllr Osman said: “We estimate that we will need to make savings of around £15m next financial year.  

“We have already saved roughly £120m over the last five years and it is very difficult to find further savings without hitting the services that we know residents value.

“I have worked hard to make this a council that listens and does its best to take people’s views into account when we are discussing these tough decisions.”

The roadshow will visit Minehead town centre on June 10, Ilminster Midsummer Experience on June 11 and Dunster Country Fair on July 27.

It will then be in attendance at Taunton Flower Show on August 5 and 6, Bridgewater Market on August 20, and finally Wellington Food Festival on September 3.