The results are in for the Community Choices Fund 2018/19

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The Scottish Government has announced which community organisations have been successful in applying for funding to distribute through participatory budgeting processes.

Communities in Scotland will benefit from a share of £1.75 million to increase the numbers of people involved in making decisions about investment in their local areas.

Sixteen community organisations from across Scotland were successful in securing a share of over £750,000 Community Choices Funding in 2018/19 to host events and give people a direct voice in how funds should be invested in their local areas on their priorities.

Successful projects include:

  • Voluntary Action Orkney will use £80,000 to work with 12 communities to promote, design and deliver participatory budgeting (PB) in geographically dispersed non linked islands.

  • Oak Tree Housing Association will use £43,000 to focus on community-led health and wellbeing projects in response local people in Branchton, Bow Farm, Pennyfern, Fancy Farm and Grieve Road can decide for themselves via PB where funding should more effectively be allocated to meet local need.

  • Girvan Youth Trust will use £36,899 to run a PB scheme for projects in support of intergenerational work and improving opportunities for those with a disability.

  • Maryhill Housing will use £46,000 to deliver PB events with local schools led by young people.

See full list here of organisations and projects to have received funding.

The Announcement

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On Tuesday PB Scotland had the pleasure in visiting one of the successful projects, the Musselburgh Area Partnership where Aileen Campbell, Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government, announced the funding.

This was a great opportunity for Musselburgh Area Partnership to show the Cabinet Secretary the impact that participatory budgeting has had on their young people and their community from their PB process earlier this year.

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Iain Clark, Chair of the Musselburgh Area Partnership was delighted that Cabinet Secretary choose to visit, giving some of the young people the chance to speak ( and floss) about the amazing work had they have been doing through receiving the Community Choice Fund.

After the announcement we got talking to Iain Clark who spoke with enthusiasm about their future plans;

“Delighted to be going forward and to take the lessons from the last one with us. Hopefully the ambition and the drive we saw from the young people will rub off on the second event because I think it went pretty well.”

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And of the later scale they are ready to undertake;

“There’s a new focus this time, the wider community. It’s very exciting though, this is going to be out with the community at voting events in community centres, in the heart of the community, to try and get people to come out, and encourage them to take part and tell us what they think needs delivered.”

With the £50,000 of funding and an additional £20,000 of their own investment, Mussleburgh Area Partnership will lead a PB process that will have a direct focus on reducing inequalities and the direct impacts on poverty, both social and financial.

We look forward to hearing more and supporting Musselburgh Area Partnership through their second Community Choice fund process.