Benefits of PB
Despite the increasingly difficult context many of the practitioners took part in the engagement exercise were enthusiastic about PB and the benefits it brings beyond the technicalities of PB.
Wider Civic and Community Engagement / Empowerment
Almost all participants identified PB as one of the most effective and practical tools to engage members of the community. “Money gets people round the table.”
Civic and community benefits identified by respondents included:
Increased number of people involved in local decision-making processes
Improved relationships between services/agencies and local communities
Increased understanding of local issues by a wider range of community members
Greater awareness of local groups and projects by services and local communities
Increased levels of volunteering in the local community
New partnerships between agencies and groups
Greater community and family engagement in schools
Increased participation in decision making processes in schools and communities by young people
Many respondents identified that they were currently using or exploring the use of PB as a process to effectively allocate resources to support local community-led action planning, local ward regeneration budgets and local place planning.
Many practitioners reported that evaluation of a narrow focus on budget allocation to PB often missed the wider benefits of PB in particular its use as an effective tool within wider community engagement, participation or empowerment processes.
Innovative solutions and better value for money
Almost all participants identified that where service budgets had been devolved to local communities and there had been appropriate time and resource allocated to support that the PB processes had often resulted in:
More innovative solutions than officers would have identified on their own
Better value for money
More investment in the local community and community organisations
Examples of innovative solutions and local investment were particularly impactful in revenue budgets with examples including regeneration, playparks and greenspace, health and wellbeing, ADP and PEF budgets.
