Housing associations and social housing providers have been using PB for many years. This is just one example, from 2015, run by Salix Homes in Salford. Since it began five years ago, the initiative has channelled £157,000 into the local community and supported 75 local projects. If you lived on a Salix Homes estate or… Read More
Geographic
Participatory Budgeting in the UK and internationally
Can Children Take Part in PB?
This article is an extract from the full story on the website of the Center for Urban Pegagogy in the USA and was published in 2012. How can someone who is too young to vote have a say in the future of their neighbourhood? What does civics really look like in action? In the spring… Read More
SQW’s Evaluation of Participatory Budgeting in England 2011
In 2011, just as the New Labour sponsored English National Strategy for PB was winding down, the evaluation of the programme undertaken by SQW was published. Though its no longer readily available on UK government websites, unless you know where to look. Therefore a copy of the report "Communities in the Driving Seat" has been… Read More
Doing Democracy with Chicken Cutlets and Pearl Milk Tea in Taipei
The annual budget of the Taipei City Government is more than NTD 160 billion (£3.8b). City residents may not have a good understanding of how large this number is or how this budget is used. Providing such an understanding is key to promoting civic participation reports the About Taipai website. In Taipai they have been… Read More
Town famous for its "Flatpack Democracy" embraces Participatory Budgeting
FROME Town Council will be giving more power to the people next year when it brings in a participatory budgeting system, allowing local residents to vote on how to spend the council’s money. “Participatory Budgeting fundamentally re-thinks the council’s relationship with the people of the town,” said Mayor, councillor Toby Eliot. "We’re planning to allocate £30,000… Read More
Third Force News reports political commitment to £100m for Participatory Budgeting
In a recent article, Third Force News, the ‘voice of the Scotland’s third sector’ reports a commitment from the SNP to extend the role of participatory budgeting(PB) to 1% of Glasgow City Council’s Budget if it takes control of the city in upcoming elections. In a city with a population of around 600,000, that is… Read More
Engage, Think, Do: The full programme
Engage, Think, Do… The PB conference fringe Friday the 21st October 2016. Running simultaneously at 3 closely situated venues in central Edinburgh, with 14 sessions that explore in-depth the full range of innovatory democratic practice that’s happening in Scotland, in Europe and worldwide. Download the final programme View presentations, blogs and resources on the report… Read More
Engage, Think, Do: The Scottish PB Conference Fringe. Friday 21st October 2016
Save the 20th and 21st October 2016 for a two day international conference of Participatory Budgeting in Edinburgh. Under the strap-line “Here we are all citizens” the UK PB Networks ‘fringe conference’ took place between 10am and 4pm on Friday 21st October at three separate venues in central Edinburgh. The PB Fringe compliments the main… Read More
Maybole residents turn up in force for PB
Maybole in South Ayrshire is the latest Scottish community to experience PB. And it was reported to be another full house. People from across North Carrick voted with their feet on how best to spend funding in their local community. South Ayrshire’s first ‘decision day’ was held in Maybole on Sat 7th May 2016 to… Read More
67,000 people vote in PB New York 2016
Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and the New York City Council announced the voting results and winning proposals of the 2015-2016 Participatory Budgeting cycle. During the voting period of March 26th through April 3rd, over 67,000 New Yorkers voted to allocate $38 million dollars for locally developed capital projects across 28 Council Districts in New York City…. Read More