PEOPLE in Oxford have had their say on what the city council's budget priorities should be over the coming year as it aims to make more than £3m of savings.

Residents who took part in the 'citizens panel' consultation said increasing spending on recycling and refuse should be the council's top priority, and also called for more money to be spent on flood prevention, affordable housing and street cleaning.

The consultation comes as the Liberal Democrat administration tries to find £3.7m of budget cuts to meet the Government's comprehensive spending review, which recommends that local authorities should make three per cent savings year on year for the next three years.

Of 405 residents surveyed, 97 per cent wanted more spent on recycling and refuse, 95 per cent wanted increased funding for street cleaning and 90 per cent wanted the council to pay or better flood defences.

A total of 67 per cent wanted more money to go towards providing affordable housing.

They favoured less spending on leisure centres, area committees, street wardens and CCTV.

The council said that the level of consultation undertaken for budget priorities was much wider than before and also included the opinions of 150 council staff, ten members of a 'citizens' jury' and 31 people who used the council's new online consultation form.

David Rundle, the executive member for stronger communities, said: "It was essential that the people of Oxford were given their chance to give us their views on the council's budget priorities over the coming year and we believe this has been achieved.

"We used many different forms of consultation in order to get as many different opinions from as many people as possible.

"We will now take all the feedback we have received into account when we make our final decisions about next year's budget prior- ities."

The 2008-9 budget will be set at a meeting of the full council on Monday.