So far 1,700 Gwynedd residents have taken part in a public survey on the Council services that are most important to them, and the authority is urging anyone who has not yet had their say to do so by November 4.

The recent draft settlement from the Welsh Government shows Gwynedd Council is expected to be cut by 0.8 per cent for 2019/20. As this follows a pattern of insufficient funding over a number of years, it is inevitable that the Council will face extremely difficult decisions when setting its budget next March.

As part of the preparation work, the Council is currently carrying out a public consultation to find out which services are most important to Gwynedd residents. The Council is therefore urging anyone who is yet to take part to fill-in the questionnaire and have their say.

Gwynedd Council Leader, Cllr Dyfrig Siencyn said: “Whilst the Welsh Government’s latest announcement regarding the funding that will be available for councils for the next year is very disappointing, it unfortunately follows a pattern that has been in place now for a number of years.

“The continuation of this austerity agenda means that there will be no choice but to take extremely difficult decisions about how to spend the money that is available to pay for local services.“Gwynedd councillors will have to weigh-up which of our local services to prioritise over the coming years, and the work of preparing for these continued tough times is already in place.

“As part of this work, we are eager to know which services are most important to the people of Gwynedd. I’d like to thank those 1,700 people who have already completed the questionnaire and would urge any resident who has not yet taken part to do so.”

The Council is urging local people and organisations to take part in the consultation by filling-in the questionnaire on the Gwynedd website www.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/Priorities

Paper copies of the questionnaire are also available from the Council’s Siop Gwynedd one-stop-shops in Caernarfon, Dolgellau and Pwllheli and from Coucil libraries and leisure centres. The public consultation is open until Sunday, 4 November.