An innovative
process that continues to enable residents to have direct decision-making
powers to help decide spending priorities in communities is to be carried out
in Aberdeen.
Aberdeen City
Council’s Communities, Housing and Public Protection Committee received an
update on implementing Participatory Budgeting, a powerful method of community
engagement that also improves understanding of the budgeting process.
Several Participatory Budgeting
processes have been carried out in Aberdeen since 2015 by Community Learning
and Development, the Fairer Aberdeen Board and Localities and Housing.
Participatory Budgeting also aims at
working with communities to review the management of council-managed open
spaces to create more sustainable and safer green areas and open spaces, as
well as developing a Community Environmental Improvement Fund to allow
communities to implement their own small-scale local environmental
improvements.
Convener
Councillor Miranda Radley said: “We welcome this update on the progress made on
Participatory Budgeting.
“This is a great way that we can
interact with our residents and empower them to decide on what should be best
spent in order to improve their local communities.”
Vice Convener
Councillor Ciaran McRae said: “Working alongside residents in order to best
know how what can be done to improve their local communities remains a priority
and by implementing Participatory Budgeting we can also help to create safer
and more sustainable areas.”