Decision details

Poulton Neighbourhood Management have carried out a successful participatory budgeting exercise and this report makes recommendations for broadening this approach.

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor David Kerr)

The Chief Executive submitted a report to inform members of the recent Participatory Budgeting exercise carried out in Poulton and to make recommendations for the development of Participatory Budgeting based on the project and its evaluation.  The report was accompanied by a short presentation.

The options, options analysis, including risk assessment were set out in the report as follows:

1       To identify appropriate un-committed grant funds available from relevant public bodies and plan a series of neighbourhood based Participatory Budgeting exercises.

The significant risk is in not having adequate planning and preparation for such exercises.  Our experience of the Poulton pilot is that this method of determining grant spending is labour intensive and requires careful and effective planning as well as relatively sophisticated event management on the day itself.

2       The ‘do nothing’ option whereby grants continue to be determined using the current system(s). 

The risk is that Lancaster City Council, and its partners, misses a significant opportunity to engage with neighbourhoods and to develop its community cohesion agenda. 

The Officer preferred option was option 1 as this provided an opportunity for more direct engagement with the District’s communities and a transparent method for the distribution of grant aid.

It was moved by Councillor Roger Mace and seconded by Councillor Eileen Blamire:-

“That a further report identifying specific opportunities to proceed with the development of Participatory Budgeting be brought back to a later Cabinet meeting.”

Members then voted as follows.

Resolved Unanimously:

That a further report identifying specific opportunities to proceed with the development of Participatory Budgeting be brought back to a later Cabinet meeting. 

Officer responsible for effecting the decision:

Corporate Director (Community Services) 

Reason for making the decision:

The decision will provide Cabinet with the information to identify specific opportunities to proceed with the development of Participatory Budgeting.