On the 7th March 2019 Stirling Council announced the launch of its first large-scale participatory budgeting(PB) process, and its another example of the growing size of PB in Scotland. The fund will be split between 7 districts, with a total of £100,000 available in each. Alan Budge of PB Partners advised the council on its… Read More
Themes
The central themes dealt with by Participatory Budgeting
I got goosebumps: Community Voting Day in Haringey
"I thought it was very very interesting, I was excited, I got goosebumps hearing about the projects and I thought this was an amazing thing to do." So said one of the participants in the "Community Voting day", held in Northumberland Park, Tottenham in 2017. Community development expert and Big Local Trust rep Gayle Wallace… Read More
Pushing at the limits: Participatory Budgeting and prisoner rehabilitation in Canada
One of the amazing things about Participatory Budgeting(PB) is how it can push boundaries and break down walls. Whether its in empowering young people by challenging expectations of how young people can be and also have a say, or towards supporting recovery, or tackling Islamophobia, any community, however marginalised can become more engaged and find… Read More
Everyone is a winner: Blog from the Scottish Recovery Network on Participatory Budgeting
Communities working together to have a direct say in how public money is spent is important… SRN’s latest blog from Holly Hendry, Network Officer for the North of Scotland, explores her experience and input into #YouChoose3, a local funding opportunity supported by recovery themes. Between October and December 2018, along with Moray Wellbeing Hub Holly… Read More
Dundee Decides: Largest single PB in the UK in 2018
PB Partners and the Democratic Society worked with Dundee council on Dundee Decides on an innovative £1.2m PB programme that ran in 2018. PB Partners provided regular strategic advice and guidance to the delivery team and also facilitated an independent review to inform future developments. Demsoc provided advice on the digital platform that underpinned the… Read More
PB and Social Isolation: New blog by Jez Hall
A new blog by Jez Hall, published on the Shared Future CIC website outlines why he thinks PB and reducing social isolation go together. As Jez says in his blog: "Recently I’ve been coordinating a citizen inquiry on elderly care at home, where social isolation is a key emerging theme to promoting well-being and preventing… Read More
PB in Schools: Has its time come in the UK?
Schools play a central role in developing the life-skills and confidence of young people. Participatory budgeting (PB) is a proven deliberative process that can inspire, empower and engage young people in a cooperative, democratic and purposeful way. Bringing the two together has many positive benefits for schools, for society and for young people. In the… Read More
New website for PB launching this month in Northern Ireland
Interested in finding out about Participatory Budgeting (PB) in Northern Ireland? And people having a say in how public money is spent locally. Then check out a new NI resource at participatorybudgetingworks.org, launching in March 2018. The Building Change Trust has made a £50,000 award to a new collaborative project which will support Participatory Budgeting… Read More
Interest in Participatory Budgeting grows in Wales
The UK PB Network and PB partners have been promoting PB in the UK since 2012. Following great success in Scotland which has seen nearly £5m invested in growing PB by the Scottish Government the idea is taking off. PB partners has been contributing to new initiatives in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland,… Read More
2,500 people vote on projects to end Islamophobia in Edinburgh
It is a sad but undeniable fact that post Brexit levels of hate crime have risen across some parts of the UK, most notably England and Wales. Intolerance, ignorance, prejudice and inequality have emerged as communities try to make sense of the Brexit impact on society. Analysis of this information and the conceptual intelligence held… Read More
