Commission calls for rollout of participatory budgeting in rural communities

The Commission for Rural Communities has called on councils to involve local people more in public spending decisions.

The move follows successful pilots of participatory budgeting in Cornwall, East Devon, Herefordshire, the Isle of Wight, Norfolk, Northumberland and Somerset. These pilots followed a CRC inquiry in 2008 into why rural people feel – compared to their urban counterparts – that their priorities are overlooked.

Examples of the use of participatory budgeting in the pilots include:

• In East Devon, the district council channelling s.106 planning gain finance through participatory budgeting for community benefit. The district-wide scheme involves parish councils and councillors
• In Northumberland, participatory budgeting methods are being used to involve different partners and the community in allocating resources for community safety services. Early results suggest positive activities for young people and a “significant” reduction in youth disorder
• In Somerset, South Somerset District Council has allocated £40,000 per annum to its four sub-district areas and uses participatory budgeting in allocations, enhancing existing services or commissioning new ones.
• In Norfolk, the county and district councils have distributed £200,000 of 2nd homes council tax resources through participatory budgeting methods. Local partners agreed to focus on areas most needing support, such as providing mental health support or special advice services into rural communities.

Crispin Moor, executive director at the CRC, said: “Participatory budgeting offers rural people their own say in local community investments. We now have practical examples of people deciding local priorities and allocating resources across a wide range of services including community safety schemes, health awareness campaigns, parish footpaths and much more.”

Cllr Michael Chater, chairman of the National Association of Local Councils, said: “As the tier of government closest to the people, local councils are well placed to adopt approaches such as participatory budgeting to involve local people in spending decisions. It is starting to be used as a tool for positive participation and community engagement and can support the representative role of our local councillors.

“The results [from the pilots] are encouraging and show the helpful contribution of participatory budgeting to informed decision-making based on local knowledge.”