CHRISTMAS, for the council, is the time of year when we get down to setting our budget priorities for the following 12 months. With council officials, I have been out and about across North Somerset listening to concerns and views about local services an

CHRISTMAS, for the council, is the time of year when we get down to setting our budget priorities for the following 12 months. With council officials, I have been out and about across North Somerset listening to concerns and views about local services and the level of council tax.I wish to thank all those Weston & Somerset Mercury readers who have taken the trouble to participate - either in the drop-in sessions at the Sovereign Centre, the Campus, Winscombe, Yatton and elsewhere, or in writing direct to the Town Hall. Your message has been clear. Focus on doing less, but do it better. Real concern about the growing cost of staff pay and pensions. A demand for a lower council tax rise. I want to assure your readers my colleagues and I are listening and will do everything we can to meet the challenge.We will publish our draft budget for 2007/2008 later this month and will continue to work through to final budget setting in February to keep costs, and council tax rises, down. This year the council tax rise was 4.9 per cent. I am absolutely determined next year the rise will be lower and the council will be able to show it is doing a better job in managing your money.CLLR MIKE BELLExecutive Member for Finance North Somerset Council