Overview
Participatory Budgeting (PB) is all about people deciding how to allocate part of a budget. It is a way for citizens to have a direct say in how funds are used to address local needs.
How it works:
Idea: You think of an idea under the theme of ‘Creating Connections’, turn your idea into a project and apply using the on-line bid form.
Voting: The bids are put on their website and voters browse through them and decide which projects they want to vote for.
Allocation: The projects which receive the most votes get the money to make them happen.
Who can submit a bid?
- You live, work or volunteer in east Belfast.
- Are you 8 years old and over? If you are aged between 8 and 17 years you will need an adult signature to support your idea.
- Individuals or groups can submit an idea.
- Groups do not have to be constituted.
- A maximum of 1 bid can be submitted from each individual or group.
- Schools can submit an idea if they are clearly supporting young people in having control of the idea.
- The money can be used to top-up resources already secured to deliver your idea.
The criteria
- Does your idea benefit the community?
- Are you based within Inner East Belfast?
- Can you deliver your idea with £500 or less?
- Can you deliver your idea by 31 March 2022?
- Is your idea safe and legal (remembering COVID restrictions)?
- Will you share your experience and the outcome of your project at a Celebration Event?
About the Voting Process
Voting will open on-line week beginning 25th October 2021.
Voting will be open for 2 weeks, closing on 10th November.
More information will be shared about the voting process once they are open for voting. Visit their website.
Winning ideas will be announced by 12th November, at the latest, via email and promoted on social media platforms
What is PB?
PB is a way for people to decide how a budget is spent on projects and services in our communities. It started in Brazil in 1989 and is being used in more than 3,000 cities around the world for budgets totalling hundreds of millions of pounds. The PB process is being used across the British Isles, particularly in Scotland where it is supported by the Scottish Government and Scottish local authorities.
What are some of the benefits of PB?
- People have a clear, public say about their priorities.
- Builds understanding and trust.
- Builds skills and confidence.
- Enables deliberation and discussion.
- Generates action.
- It is asset-based collaboration.
How does PB work?
- Firstly, people put forward their ideas against an agreed theme and budget.
- These ideas are turned into suggested projects and become bids.
- These bids are pitched to the community.
- The community deliberates on the bids and then votes for their favourites.
- The bids with the most votes get the money to make them happen.
- At the completion of the process, the bidders share how their projects went with the voters in a Celebration Event.
- Repeat.
What is different about PB?
The big difference is that you decide where the resources go – anyone aged 8 and above is entitled to vote and have their say on the projects they want to support. The other big difference is that the process is much simpler and there are no long application forms to complete, just a short bid form.
What is the total amount of money in the budget?
There is a total of £2000 in the budget. This has been donated by Connswater Homes.
What is the maximum any individual project can make a bid for?
The maximum a single project can bid for is £500.