"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. Gayle Wallace, Director of G.W Training & Consultancy Ltd managed… Read More
Themes
The central themes dealt with by Participatory Budgeting
Pushing at the limits: Participatory Budgeting and prisoner rehabilitation in Canada
Jez Hall writes about how PB can push the limits of empowerment to the most unusual of suspects. One of the amazing things about Participatory Budgeting(PB) is how it can push boundaries and break down walls. Even the walls around the criminal justice system? A step too far? Whether its in empowering young people by… 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
In a new blog by Jez Hall, published on the Shared Future CIC website outlines why he thinks PB and reducing social isolation go together. Highlights of his blog are below. "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… 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
Edinburgh Health Matters: The votes are in!
Over December 2016 people in South West Edinburgh were given the opportunity to vote on what community health projects they would like funded. Projects were to be for no more than £5000 and must demonstrate how they meet the health needs of the community. Voting was launched at a health promotion event at St Martin’s… Read More
£50,000 available to tackle poor mental health in North Ayrshire
People from across North Ayrshire are being offered the chance to stake their claim for up to £1,250 for worthy projects which will improve the lives of others. A total of £50,000 is up for grabs in the participatory budgeting event which aims to give financial backing to projects and programmes which make a positive… Read More