BOSSES at the Municipal Buildings will ask the public what local services they would axe – as the council wrestles with making cuts worth £22.5 million.

Inverclyde Council says some services will have to severely reduced or shut down over the next three years to bridge the gap, and now residents will be asked to take part in a survey to give their views.

The public will be given direct choices that include reducing the £37 million spent on teachers in Inverclyde schools, cutting the £4.7 million spent collecting bins or reducing the amount of money spent on public toilets.

Alternatively, they could opt for axing the area’s CCTV network or withdrawing the £2.3m currently spent getting people into work.

A council document on the consultation says: “Given the scale and pace of the savings required, the council will have no option but to reduce spending in some areas of service delivery. 

“This means that some frontline services currently delivered to Inverclyde residents will either be reduced or stopped altogether.”

The reason that frontline services are the main focus of potential savings is because those services cost the most money to deliver.

The listening exercise launched by the council will see people presented with a list of services and what it costs to run them.

People are then asked to whether to keep the service, reduce it or stop it altogether.

Areas which could be under threat include school breakfast clubs and the clothing grants programme.

Council officials will also ask if free swimming for under-16s and over-60s,  free primary school music tuition, free community alarms and physical aids should continue or be made subject to charges.

New charges could also be implemented for school meals, pre-five extra hours, burials and cremations.

Unlike last year there will be no online budget simulator for people to use.

The council says this is due to the fact that there are no detailed budget saving proposals due to the upcoming elections next May.