RESIDENTS across Lancashire have been asked for their views on where the county council should make savings as it faces drastic budget cuts.

County councillors have been presented with a list of budget options required to save £176m by 2017/18.

The final decision will be made in February, when the budget for 2015/2016 is set.

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The council is also consulting with relevant organisations, including the Chamber of Commerce, the Fire Authority, and Clinical Commissioning Groups in relation to the budget proposals.

The ‘Living In Lancashire’ council survey of residents found museums were the most favoured service for cuts, with care for elderly people deemed to be the most important.

The survey was sent to a representative cross-section of the county’s population who had signed up to be part of the panel.

More than four-fifths of respondents - 84 per cent - agreed that they appreciate that in the current climate there are difficult budget decisions the county council needs to make.

Services for older people, including care in their own homes and in residential homes, was named as the highest priority, followed by primary and secondary education, and repairing roads and bridges, including emergencies and fixing potholes.

Museums were seen as the service that should be the lowest priority for spending in the coming years, with adult education as the next lowest priority.

Welfare rights, trading standards, country parks, open spaces and picnic sites, and libraries were also deemed low spending priorities.

County Councillor Janice Hanson, a member of the council executive, said: “It’s really important that people in Lancashire get involved in the decision making and tell us what their priorities are, and I’m pleased that they’ve done so.”

“And I’m pleased that what they say is important is more or less what we think - services for the elderly, education and roads are our biggest spends, and the waste budget as well.

“But actually when we start saying we may have to close a library or museum we get quite a lot of grief so it’s about getting a balance.

“Adult and social care will face big cuts, but we spend so much on it, that’s the problem, and we have to work within the budget.”