On the 20th July 2015 the Island News and Advertiser reported how the community will be involved in deciding how to invest public money in rural bus services in very remote islands of the Outer Hebrides (also known as the Western Isles or Na h-Eileanan Siar in Gaelic).
The project, one of the first in Scotland to use ‘participatory budgeting’ to place the community at the heart of a procurement process, aims to deliver improved services and budget savings. It is being delivered by a project team drawn from members of the Outer Hebrides Community Planning Partnership, with support from PB Partners.
The consultation process over what public transport services are provided in Uist and Barra will continue in August 2015 with meetings in Benbecula and Castlebay. Members of the community will have their say in the next phase of the process where the requirements to be included in tender documents will be agreed.
Partnership chair Cllr Angus Campbell is keen to encourage community involvement:
“The Uist and Barra public transport project is using a completely new approach to the way services are commissioned. We hope that by putting the community at the heart of the process we can deliver better outcomes for people and better value for money for the tax payer.
I strongly urge people to come along to the events and have their say. Your views can make a real difference to the contract we finally put in place.”
- Read the story on the Island News and Advertiser website
- Full details are available on the Outer Hebrides Community Planning Partnership website