Community grants
This is the most common form PB in the UK at present. This approach has been implemented all over the country, in a wide variety of settings and contexts and there are a number of case studies relating to this approach.
This approach involves a discreet pot of money for a particular area or theme, typically a neighbourhood or for children and young people, which is allocated using PB. The criteria for what the pot can fund are usually dictated by the funding. Community, voluntary and sometimes statutory groups propose projects for the funding and then present them at a decision day event (typically) for local residents to vote on which should receive the funding.
The main benefits to this approach are, that it enables public sector bodies to implement PB without committing large pots of money, or money which influences services. Often community grants are already a feature, and the PB process is added into the mix.
about their ability to affect the future of their neighbourhood. Their involvement also had
the additional benefit of increasing how positive they feel generally about the area in
which they live." UChoose in Middlesborough
It also provides a very tangible link for voters between their votes and the projects that are delivered in their neighbourhood, often in a fairly short period of time. Through the process it builds confidence and skills with community members putting forward the projects and presenting them, gives opportunities for local groups to network and meet new people and brings different sections of the community together in a physical space. All of this makes for a very vibrant and 'buzzing' voting event which encourages people to get involved the next time.
Community and small scale grants are vital to local communities. We are very proud of the good experiences we have involved with around the UK and the good practice case studies which have emerged, some of which have received awards and even international recognition.
The main issue with small scale community grants is a risk that citizens are not involved in decisions on larger budgets which will have more of an impact on their neighbourhoods and wellbeing. In the current economic climate, it's important to meaningfully involve people in the difficult decisions that public bodies have to make on their budgets.
A number of areas are now developing mixed processes which keep an element of PB style community grants - to maintain that community spirit, the 'buzz' about things happening in a neighbourhood, and the feel good factor of supporting community groups with funding that is very much needed and provide excellent results with very little money. The community grants PB, however, is now being combined with commissioning processes and budget consultation mechanisms so that the priorities and issues identified through the community grants process are fed into service provision and commissioning, in a more indirect way, and helps to reduce the risk of 'tokenism'.
Links to come case studies for this model are below.
The Participatory Budgeting Unit is changing!
We need to move beyond the ‘Councillors know best’ approach in Edinburgh
The People's Budget workshop at TPAS conference
