FACING a huge shortfall in day-to-day service funding for the year ahead, Herefordshire Council is today inviting the public to make its own cuts.

Council leader Councillor John Jarvis told the Hereford Times that “everything is on the table” over savings in an equally unprecedented consultation affecting every man, woman and child in the county.

A shortfall of £10m is confirmed with the numbers now crunched on the council’s 2013/14 budget. The full figure actually reaches £16m mitigated by £4.5m in savings identified so far and a proposed council tax rise of 1.9 per cent that raises £1.5m ringfenced for the ever spiralling cost of adult social care.

That leaves a £10m shortfall made up of the £5.5m cut in funding from central government previously reported by the Hereford Times and £4.5m from other external sources.

The council has to have a balanced budget projected by the end of the month to meet the deadline for council tax setting.

Hereford Times readers can email their suggestions and opinions to yoursay@herefordtimes.com, comment via the dedicated Facebook page (YourCommunityYourSay) or contact the council via Twitter (@haveyoursay_).