Police Scotland PB sees £32k voted on in Caithness

A process diagram showing how the Police Scotland PB process was run

Police Scotland and Caithness Voluntary Group have announced the results of a participatory budgeting (PB) process to decide how £32,000 can be spent in the Caithness area.

Funded by the Scottish Government, the PB process was focused on improving safety and wellbeing. Run from summer 2022, the process saw 821 votes cast across 18 projects - with voting run online and at in person locations.

14 groups were successful, including ideas focused on wellbeing coaching, a warm bank and a new pregnancy and baby group.

The approach by Police Scotland was driven by a recent articles by the Auditor General for Scotland that suggests that public organisations in Scotland have not done enough to achieve the vision of more involvement by communities in decision making set out by the Christie Commission over a decade ago.

Eann Sinclair, Chair of Caithness Community Partnership said “This is a very welcome approach by Police Scotland which recognises the importance of sharing responsibility for decision-making with representatives from local communities. At a time when our communities continue to show resilience in the face of many external challenges, Police Scotland and Caithness Voluntary Group offer positive opportunities to make a difference.”

Chief Superintendent Conrad Trickett, Divisional Commander, Highland and Islands Division said "Understanding the concerns of the communities in Caithness is at the heart of community policing. This participatory budget goes the next step and allows communities to both identify problems and design and fund solutions. I very much celebrate this innovative approach to working with communities in Caithness."

There's more detailed information, and the full results, here.