Highland Council budget simulator hailed a success
An online tool asking members of the public to make hypothetical budget cuts is likely to be used again next year.
Highland Council budget leader Bill Fernie praised the simulator which was designed to show people how difficult it is to balance the books.
It cost £5000 to create and asked the public to find £14 million of savings from council services.
"This was an engagement exercise, it wasn’t a consultation on budget proposals," said Councillor Fernie. "It was to raise awareness of budget challenges and to gauge priorities of the public.
"The simulator is available for a year and I think we will use it again. It can also be used for other topics if we want to gather public views.
"It was a positive engagement exercise and a very different way of doing things."
The simulator attracted criticism on social media, with many accusing the local authority of treating the difficult choices "like a game" but council leader Margaret Davidson said many of the decisions made by the 1000 people who took part were similar to the cuts made by the local authority.
"I’m pleased to say many of the conclusions they came to are what we are presenting you with here today," she said at the council budget meeting.
