New report evaluates Glasgow's participatory budgeting activity

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A new report from Glasgow Centre for Population Health evaluates the participatory budgeting activity taking place in Glasgow.

In four areas of the city community organisations with deep roots have been commissioned to support people to establish citizens panels charged with testing how PB should best work in their community. In addition, Glasgow Disability Alliance were asked to support disabled people from across the city to get involved in development and delivery of the PB process.

The report, published in October, notes that “Glasgow City Council has a strong and clear vision for inclusive, accessible and inequalities-focused PB” and that it should develop a city-wide PB strategy “underpinned by an equalities framework and co-produced with equalities agencies, anchor organisations and with communities.”

The report’s main findings are:

  • The dedication of the partners involved and the authenticity and quality of the PB processes developed within the pilot areas was evident.

  • Glasgow City Council has demonstrated a strong commitment to promoting inclusive and accessible PB.

  • The pilot areas were unanimous in stating that the level of funding allocated to support the development of citizens’ panels and the implementation of the PB processes should have been higher. Relatedly, the timescales in which the pilot areas were expected to deliver the PB processes were consistently described as ‘too tight’

  • There are strengths to approaching PB at a Council ward level, but the pilot areas have also highlighted some challenges. 

  • Learning from the PB pilots suggests that care must be taken to ensure that the inequalities focus within defined communities is clear at the outset. 

  • The citizens’ panel approach proved to be a strong PB model in which the processes were tailored to the local community context and where community interests and priorities are represented throughout the process before voting takes place.

  • The PB pilot leads have developed supportive, authentic and trusted relationships with the citizens’ panel members – this has been an important factor in the success of the pilots.

  • Amid the largely technical narratives that surround the imminent mainstreaming of PB, the approaches developed in the pilots represent a timely reminder that effective PB is about communities and people’s lives and is built upon relationships.

The report further recommends:

  • Continuation and expansion of ward-based citizens’ PB panels

  • Increasing PB capacity building and process timescales

  • The establishment of a Glasgow PB learning network and external evaluation support.

You can read the report here and there’s background on GCPH’s work around PB here.