Participatory Budgeting

Between December 2021 to April 2023 Northern Heart and Soul CiC convened an experiment in the Wigan Borough, bringing communities together, who were interested in participatory budgeting.

The report is now produced and you can read more about the 8 things we learned whilst experimenting with participatory budgeting in the Wigan Borough here

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1. It requires focus and dedicated resources/time. 

2. The importance of starting where groups are at and embracing a range of different decision-making fora and methodology.

3. That influence and change takes time and is hard work especially when decision making fora are either embedded in, or restricted by ways of doing things.

4. The importance of having some form of local mechanism that makes decision making easier – e.g. community association, Pies and £’s.

5. The importance of relationship building over time, and connectedness to local community so that trust based participatory budgeting can take place, and monies can be placed directly into residents hands as well as organisations that serve them.

6. The political nature of the work. For this to grow it will mean returning some budgets to very local place when local funding pots have been centralised and decisions are mainly made by officers and elected members.

7. The possibilities of being able to create something really special and community led, that really put power into the hands of people and places.

8. The importance of an independent network that is able to remain apolitical and community centred whilst bringing together people who are using different mechanisms locally and also representing a variety of political affiliations.