FIVE dates have been fixed for the public to take part in crucial Inverclyde Council budget consultation events to help determine where £7 million of cuts should be made.

Meetings will take place starting on Thursday 4 December at 7.30pm in Notre Dame High School, Greenock.

There will then be events on Monday 8 December in Port Glasgow Community Campus, Tuesday 9 December at Clydeview Academy in Gourock, Wednesday 10 December in Wemyss Bay Primary and Thursday 11 December in the Cargill Centre, Kilmacolm, all beginning at 6.30pm.

An additional early morning event has also been arranged for members of the local business community to have their say about the savings options being examined.

This will take place on Tuesday 9 December in Greenock’s Beacon Arts Centre from 7.30am.

John Mundell, Inverclyde Council chief executive, said: “The council is facing significant budget pressures. While we are already delivering £22m of recurring savings year on year, the scale of the budget gap for 2016/17 will require more difficult decisions to make sure the budget of £196m is balanced.

“That’s why it is hugely important that we engage with as many people as possible across our area.

“Our budget consultation will involve questionnaires and an innovative online budget simulator. The opportunity to engage directly with members of the community and representatives of local groups across Inverclyde gives people a chance to discuss the scale of the issues facing the council and how, together, we can tackle those.” Inverclyde’s budget for 2015/16 has been agreed ‘in principle’ as part of the previous three-year agreement but will be formally decided in February 2015.

There is an estimated cash black hole of £7m for 2016/17.

The local authority’s corporate management team have put forward savings options totalling £10m and councillors on the council’s policy and resources committee agreed that they should be put out to public consultation.

The consultation gives people a chance to put forward their views.