Budget: authorities must face reality

MUNICIPALITIES are in the process of considering the integrated development plan that incorporates the budget. These are statutory requirements.

- SIMON T DEHAL Verulam

Local authorities are governed by relevant provisions of the Constitution, as well as the local authorities ordinance and the trilogy of local government statutes — systems, structures and finance management.

The budget is all about three things: mainly-projected expenditure, projected income and the deficit. In the mix of the consideration are statutory consultations with the public and other role-players.

Regrettably, this has just become ticking the boxes with little or nothing of the many meaningful inputs being considered. This is just a crying shame.