It carried out a phone, online and paper survey of public opinion on how to meet that target.

BBC: Public favours Dumfries and Galloway Council wage cuts

This degree of online engagement can be awkward for authorities used to a comfortable buffer from public opinion.

ECONOMIST: The power of microblogs

When Dr Dean was considering whether to eschew public financing, he e-mailed all his online supporters for their opinion.

ECONOMIST: Howard Dean