About the charter
PB Charter home | The 7 features | Using the Charter | What is PB…?
Why a charter?
The PB Charter was developed to support the continued growth of PB in Scotland as the approach is increasingly being used by communities, local authorities, health boards and environmental projects.
The PB is becoming a central part of how decisions are made, the charter demonstrates what needs to be considered to make sure participatory budgeting is:
Fair and inclusive
Participatory
Deliberative
Empowering
Creative and flexible
Transparent
Part of our democracy going forward
Designed for use by people planning PB processes as well as those taking it part and voting, the charter is a practical way to set a standard for good PB in Scotland.
How was the charter developed?
The PB Charter was co-produced by the PB Scotland Network, community organisations and agencies across Scotland.
The charter was developed through two workshops (Dundee and Glasgow) which involved over 70 participants in detailed discussions about the guiding principles for PB and the values which define PB in Scotland.
The feedback from the workshops was used to develop a draft charter which then went out to the wider PB network and partners to comment on the themes and wording. We received 58 detailed responses to the charter.
Two webinar (online discussions) were developed to discuss the main themes that resulted from the workshops and the online survey. There were 20 participants between the two webinars.
A further consultation took place at the PB Festival Charter launch in Edinburgh which then led to two further community workshops in Edinburgh and Glasgow to specifically look at the wording of the charter.
About participatory budgeting
Participatory budgeting is a way for people to directly vote on how local money should be spent.
Originating in Puerto Alegre, Brazil over 30 years ago, the concept of PB has travelled and transferred across the world, adapting to local policy and political situations.
PB aims to allow local people to decide on the issues that matter to them and help them to understand, influence and vote on how public spending decisions are made.
The Scottish Government describe PB as “a way for local people to have a direct say in how public funds can be used to address local needs” and consider it to have important potential in helping people feel connected to each other and to their communities. It can also instil a sense of ownership and trust.
The Scottish Government support PB as a tool for getting the community involved that fits with the aims of creating a participatory democracy in Scotland.
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