Democracy Beyond Elections is an emerging collaborative campaign to win structural democracy reforms that deepen participatory democracy and civic engagement, beyond and between elections.
Read MoreThe video features inputs from a range of elected officials who talk about the impact PB has had in building trust between voters and officials.
Read MoreThe research set out to study the impact of PB on communities, services, local democracy, and tackling inequalities.
This piece reflects on the history and evolution of participatory budgeting in Indonesia across six cities.
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As part of their work developing the use of digital participatory budgeting (PB) in Scotland, Demsoc has been sharing inspiring examples of how digital tools have been used for PB around the world. This time they’re looking at Reykjavik’s long-standing PB process. This blog was written with the help of Róbert Bjarnason, who gave them a short interview about Reykjavik’s PB process. Róbert is Chief Exec of Citizens Foundation, a not-for-profit foundation, whose technology has been used in this process. Citizens Foundation are also one of the providers we’ve worked with to support digital PB in Scotland.
Read more here.
We attended the Ferguslie Park PB event and saw how local people are quietly using their talents to make a real difference.
Read MorePaul Nelis went along to the Dalmellington PB voting event to see what transparency looks like in practice.
Read MoreMaryhill Housing Association and YOMO took the bold step to enable young people to lead the PB process for Ruchill and Maryhill.
Read MoreThe Scottish Government has published its Community Choices 2017/18 report, detailing the last year of participatory budgeting activity from across Scotland.
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Jointly hosted by PB Scotland and COSLA, the event featured inputs from Young Scot and The Democratic Society, with the loads of questions, ideas and discussions from people in the room.
David Reilly from SCDC (which hosts PB Scotland) kicked off for us, providing some context for the day outlining why PB practice is core to achieving more empowered communities:
David stressed the importance of our decisions and practice being value-driven, and the opportunity to widen participation through using PB to boost our efforts to achieve equality, empower communities through good processes, and make better decisions on public money.
Whatever our mix between online and in-person PB, we should take a co-productive approach with communities having an equal seat at the table when decision are being taken.
#DigitalPB. Challenge for digital PB is how to build in more of a ‘deliberative’ component. Scotland perhaps currently has a bit of a ‘deliberation deficit’.
— £eith Chooses (@LeithChooses) March 25, 2019
Our first input was from Gavin Crosby who spoke about Young Scot’s work around digital participation and PB, highlighting their online voting system has been used for PB processes from North Ayrshire to Moray.
Gavin made it clear that we don’t need to choose between in person and online voting – we can and should do both. They can support each other. He also talked about the balance that has to be struck between achieving low cost + robust vote security + high turnout - and just how hard that can sometimes be.
We also need to compare online with face-to-face PB and not let perfect be the enemy of the good. He used the example of voting security, but pointed out that we’re not talking about hyper secure technology - instead it’s about being robust enough.
Simon’s role supporting local authorities to carry out PB puts him in a great position to introduce the Consul platform and talk about its role in moving towards ‘mainstream’ PB in Scotland.
Simon stressed that digital means of PB, participation and engagement are an enhancement to our efforts and are not the only approach to take. We should not be ‘digital by default’ as this risks a whole host of people being excluded because they don’t have the skills or access to engage digitally.
Consul, a free, open source platform used across 33 countries, has been developed as a single tool for local government participation and is now being piloted with 16 local authorities in Scotland. In Madrid, where Consul has been adopted, PB is seen as the least of what the platform does as it allows a range of different ways people can engage with decision makers.
@Demsoc Digital participatory budgeting in Scotland – learning report gives lots of food for thought for how we embed and mainstream PB locally #digitalPB https://t.co/WZbo3TmSb8
— PB Fife (@PbFife) March 25, 2019
The Democratic Society offers support and shares learning about digital approaches to PB across Scotland. Kelly McBride, Head of Scotland, offered her insights after a day of ‘active listening’, sharing some of her reflections about how we can develop digital PB in Scotland.
Kelly reflected on some of the key issues on accessibility and inclusion in digital PB - and the importance of making sure digital tools don’t add to the barriers people already face.
She also mentioned the recently published report from Demsoc which reviews the last two years of digital PB activity in Scotland, providing valuable learning about different tools, techniques and ideas. Crucially, it also offers some solutions in next steps of digital PB practice.
Leith Chooses introduces an innovative way to actively include members of the Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities in Leith, but how? David Reilly went along to their event in February and shares all in this blog.
Read MoreAnnie Cook speaks to Colin Freeman, Community Empowerment Manager for Participatory Budgeting about his experiences running Participatory Budgeting in Dumfries & Galloway.
Read MoreSRN’s latest blog from Holly Hendry, their Network Officer for the North of Scotland, explores her experience and input into #YouChoose3, a local funding opportunity supported by recovery themes.
Read MorePaul Nelis went along to the Buckhaven PB event and learned that it’s not easy for organisers or voters as they make difficult decisions about the great project ideas that are presented.
Read MoreThe Democratic Society has produced a new podcast explore digital participatory budgeting processes from across the country.
Read MoreLearn about the importance of balancing online and offline to ensure good engagement in participatory budgeting processes.
Read MoreThis policy briefing looks what needs to be done for mainstream participatory budgeting to develop further in Scotland.
Read MoreIn this blog, Andrew Paterson from PB Scotland shows how PB is a great way to advance children’s right to participate.
Read MoreFiona Garven, SCDC Director, is joined by Evelyn O’Donnell from Glasgow City Council and Rosie Ilett from Child Poverty Action Group to talk about how participatory budgeting (PB) is developing in Glasgow.
Read MoreLearn about this PB work in Ruchill and Possilpark, part of Spirit of 2012’s Glasgow Commonwealth Games legacy programme.
Read MoreParticipatory budgeting in Scotland.
Participatory budgeting (PB) is a way for people to have a direct say in how local money is spent.
A 60-second guide
to PB
PB Scotland is developed by the
Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC)
with funding from the Scottish Government.
For more information please contact info@pbscotland.scot.
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