1st PB national conference resounding success

Delegates came to the prestigious Midland Hotel in Manchester to participate in the first national conference for participatory budgeting in Britain. 

Delegates were there representing local authorities, police authorities, the health sector, as well as community groups and activists, and national organisations such as Oxfam, The Big Lottery Fund and the Audit Commission.  One delegate mentioned they felt the buzz of excitement as they entered the room and another said it was the best conference they'd been to.

The day started with a keynote address from the Rt. Hon. Hazel Blears MP, who launched Giving more people a say in local spending - participatory budgeting: a national strategy and announced 12 more areas in England that are undertaking a PB project.

Hazel Blears said:

"Residents are happier with their local area when they are given more say and more control over local decisions. Getting involved in the public spending process will give people a better understanding of, and more confidence in the choices their local authorities make."

Next up was a celebratory video which included footage from a number of different projects around the country and tracked the successes that have been achieved so far.  It also looked to the future and some of the areas that are coming up on the PB radar.

Despite there being a very full programme, speakers and the Chair kept to time and ensured the day ran smoothly.

Throughout the day participants heard from people who have already implemented PB in a number of different contexts including neighbourhood management, health, children and young people and devolved mainstream budgets.  They also found out about the international context for PB, and heard from speakers talking about taking PB into different contexts including policing, children and young people and health.  They also got opportunities to discuss their local situations and how they might apply PB with other participants - sharing learning and experiences, and thinking about new contexts for PB. 

Many participants mentioned that the valued the opportunities to network and share experiences were the most rewarding parts of the day and that they felt encouraged and confident to try PB in their area after coming to the conference.

Despite it being a national conference, there were even  some international guests from The German Development Agency (equivalent to Department for International Development in Germany) and the European Institute for Public Administration, demonstrating that PB is not just a British phenomenom but it has international appeal and relevance. 

The video shown at the conference will be available shortly on the website and the presentation slides can be found here.  A full report of the conference and photos will also be available in the next few weeks from the website.

You can read about Hazel Blear's announcements in press releases here

Communities and Local Government press release

LGC News Item