Dundee City Council meets today to set its budget — and faces cutting £6.39 million from its spending to balance the books.

To try to make up some of the shortfall, it plans to raise council tax by 2.5% and hike a host of other charges, like parking fees.

The Tele asked readers to give their views on the budget cuts in a special poll, with 442 responses. Most folk said they were dissatisfied with public services and unhappy with the way the council manages its cash.

Locals spread the blame for the shortfall equally across the UK and Scottish Governments and the council.

Residents expect the council to make cuts across every service it runs but more than two-thirds believe that councillors and senior management should undergo cuts before any other department.

They favour education and social care being protected most, with 64 respondents keen to see every department saved from the cutbacks. Two-in-three people, however, believe council staff shouldn’t be exempt from compulsory redundancies.

The vast majority of respondents said they believed the cuts would affect them in some way — though 271 were not in favour of raising council tax to plug the gap compared to 171 in favour.

The Tele also spoke to people who live or work in Dundee to ask their views on how public cash could best be spent.