Len Duvall, Assembly Member for London and chair of the GLA oversight committee has called for Mayor Sadiq Khan to bring in a participatory budget for London.
In an article on the MayorWatch website, (where it was reported that the public consultation on last year’s London budget drew just 12 responses, compared to Paris, that had 158,000 participants in its own PB process), Mr Duvall was quoted as saying such a move would release “a significant pool of untapped creativity and energy from the residents of London.”
The report, entitled "Your money, Your Say, a participatory budget for London" makes three significant recommendations:
- The Mayor should begin a participatory budget system in London
- The Talk London website could be improved to provide a digital platform for a participatory budget
- The Mayor to launch a widespread campaign to encourage Londoners from all backgrounds to engage in London’s participatory budget.
PBPartners, The Democratic Society and Involve, three of the leading non government organisations promoting participatory budgeting, and all experts in public participation and community engagement have come together to offer Mayor Sadiq Khan their expertise to deliver this exciting proposal, if he and the GLA decides that is the way London should go.
Large cities across the world, from New York to Madrid, as well as Paris all have active PB processes.
