The PB Network advocates for learning and innovation in Participatory Budgeting.
It does this through sharing information and blogs on this website, and by putting on learning events, publishing policy related papers and stimulating debate on where Participatory Budgeting (PB) might go next. The PB Network has no funding of its own and is maintained by the goodwill of those committed to its aims.
Our goal
The goal of the PB Network is for PB to move beyond its predominant model of allocating small pots of money to voluntary and community groups, towards repeatedly distributing mainstream public budgets, in line with international best practise. That public services routinely offer some form of PB for mainstream budget choices and that as a norm citizens will expect it to be offered.
The aim of the network is for PB to be recognised as a key and effective tool for:
- addressing inequalities in service provision and resource allocation
- engaging and empowering citizens in discussions on public budgets
- stimulating co-production and mutual responsibility between citizens and the state
Advisory Group
The PB Network is guided by a voluntary advisory group. Convened by our acting Chair, Susan Ritchie, the advisory group brings together PB champions spread across the country, to promote the concept of Participatory Budgeting. It is guided by a simple terms of reference.
Involvement of the group is open to all.
If you would like to be involved please contact us via our contact form.
PB values and principles
Participatory Budgeting is about local people making decisions directly over how local public budgets are spent. The PB Network is committed to acting in accord with the values set out in the PB Unit’s Values, Principles and Standards document:
- Transparency
- Accessibility
- Deliberation
- Empowerment
- Local ownership
- Mainstream involvement
- Representative democracy
- Shared responsibility
History
The PB Network builds on the success of the previous work promoting PB across the UK by the PB Unit, Oxfam, Church Action on Poverty and thousands of PB practitioners.
The PB Unit was a project of the national charity Church Action on Poverty, which ran from 2000 to 2012. The project aimed to support the public sector and community groups in developing new Participatory Budgeting processes in the UK. The PB Unit website represents an archive of that work and contains many useful resources.
When the PB Unit closed in April 2012 its work was picked up by the newly formed PB Network. The PB Network held its inaugural meeting in Bradford in September 2012.
Terms of reference for the network were produced by its small volunteer steering group in December 2012, and agreed at the second meeting of the PB Network held in January 2013 in London.
Find out more
To learn more about the PB Network or raise any questions you may have about Participatory Budgeting, get in touch via our contact form.
Acknowledgements
The PB Network website is updated on a voluntary basis by PB Partners, experts in designing effective PB programmes.
PB Partners is administered by Shared Future CIC, a social enterprise with a track record in quality community engagement and development. Company no. 06919338.
The PB Network site was designed and built by Vaughan Simons, who tragically died in 2018.
