Up until early 2012 the PB Unit was the recognised lead organisation that advocated and supported the development of Participatory Budgeting in the UK. The PB Unit closed in early 2012 and from September 2014 its old website was closed down. With funding from The Department of Communities and Local Government, and managed by Church… Read More
News
Latest news about Participatory Budgeting
Tulse Hill Community Led PB programme for reducing fear of crime
The votes have been counted in Tulse Hill’s first PB event. Eight pots of £400 were awarded as part of a program aimed at reducing the fear of crime. 80 local residents turned up to vote for 13 groups. The Tulse Hill Together Project was organised by the Tulse Hill Forum and funded by Lambeth Council. It… Read More
Paris Mayor launches £426m Euro PB programme
In autumn 2014, a democratic innovation is taking place: the participatory budget for Paris. Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris, has committed that 5% of the investment budget of the City (representing €426 million between 2014 and 2020) will be decided by Parisians through a form of online and paper ballot Participatory Budgeting. In many ways… Read More
New Yorkers see Participatory Budgeting grow to $25m
Since 2011 a few districts of New York have seen Participatory Budgeting (PB) become a regular annual event. Based on the success of those early programmes now it is growing to encompass almost half of the city. More and more councilmen and women are choosing to include it in their promise to electors. Last April… Read More
How budgets should help realise human rights
Governments’ budgets are fundamentally about people’s human rights. They are the central means by which governments provide people with access to quality education, decent health care services, a safe working environment, potable water, and goods and services essential for lives with dignity. Article 2 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights sets… Read More
Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner mobilises 700 residents to get involved
Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner John Dyer recently trusted residents of Grange in Runcorn with part of his budget, and the results have paid off. In a recent press release it is reported… The ten projects with the highest number of votes by the community of The Grange in Runcorn were announced at a packed… Read More
What happened when the city of Boston asked teenagers for help with the budget
In the USA they take a more direct approach to their politics. This report, from Hollie Russon Gilman describes a recent initiative in Boston that has re-energised youth participation and changed the way the budget is decided. This extract shows that Boston remains at the forefront of democratic innovation, hunderds of years after that memorable… Read More
PB Network Steering Group meets in Manchester
Members of the PB Network’s Steering Group met at the Manchester office of Church Action on Poverty in late June 2014, to discuss strengthening the structure and widening the impact of the Network. As an unfunded body we rely on input from members and supporters. Our Steering Group is guiding those who have been carrying… Read More
TravelSMART funds £1m of community transport projects in Surrey
Surrey County Council have been using Participatory Budgeting to share £1m of funding between various communities in Surrey. The aim of the TravelSMART community funding is to make the county a better place for residents, by improving public transport, encouraging cycling and cutting carbon emissions. Harris Vallianatos, Sustainable Transport Officer at Surrey County Council recently… Read More
PB Partners joins the Big Local spring roadshow
PB Partners will be presenting workshops on community led PB as part of the upcoming round of Big Local Trust Roadshows. Participatory Budgeting has been used successfully in a number of Big Local groups, from Devon and Cornwall in the South West up to Oldham in the North. As part of an ongoing connection with… Read More