LOCAL residents, businesses and organisations will get their chance next month to raise concerns about proposed public service cuts face-to-face with county councillors and staff.

The Chronicle reported last week that Monmouthshire County Council, struggling to make overall savings of an estimated £7m, were asking Abergavenny town council to take over management of some key local services.

Possible casualties of the squeeze were litter collections, public toilets, the town’s museum, maintenance of Bailey Park and the library.

MCC has now announced that it will be visiting groups and talking to communities at a number of venues ‘to share ideas and receive community feedback’.

The venues for these public meetings include County Hall, Usk on Monday November 16 (6.30pm to 8pm) and King Henry VIII School, Abergavenny on November 23 (6.30pm to 8pm).

The session at County Hall will be live streamed on YouTube so residents can watch it live or replay the meeting to watch later.

The sessions will inform the community of the serious challenges facing the council and inform them how it plans to work with the public as well as town and community councils to try and maintain services.

The public meetings will outline the effect of budget cuts and allow discussions on the council’s 2016/17 budget with councillors and staff.

A special Monmouthshire Voices Access for All meeting organised by the South East Wales Regional Equality Council to discuss the budget will take place on Monday November 23 at County Hall, Usk from 11am to 1pm.

To attend and find more information about the Access for All Forum contact Pennie Walker: [email protected]s or telephone 07949 040538.

The council has also made plans for residents to engage in informal chat with officers about the budget before the public meetings including in Abergavenny town centre on Wednesday November 11 from 10am – 12noon.

Live Twitter Q & A sessions will be held on November 11, 18 and 24 from 6pm to 8pm so that anyone unable to attend meetings may provide feedback or post a question online.

The council will also meet with local groups in the county’s leisure centres. All the ideas formulated are available on the council’s website: monmouthshire.gov.uk/monmouthshire-engages-budget-201617 and comments are welcomed on the council’s social media channels: Twitter@MonmouthshireCC and the council’s Facebook page

Contact Engagement Officer Rhian Cook on 01633 644364 or 07789 922586 or email [email protected] for more information about the events.