Participatory Budgeting

Participatory budgeting (PB) is a process of involving citizens in deciding how to spend public money. PB is about community members shaping local services to meet local priorities more effectively and helps allow public money to be democratically reallocated at a community level to ‘priority services’ and initiatives identified by residents. PB started in Brazil in 1989 and has now spread to over 1,500 localities across the globe with around 2,700 processes taking place.

In this section of the website community councils can view short films explaining what PB is as well as examples of the impact PB is having in communities across Scotland.

Community Councils and Community Choices

Participatory budgeting is a way for local people to have a direct say in how, and where, public funds can be used to address local requirements. Read about three community-led participatory budgeting events that took place in March 2017.

Participatory Budgeting in Scotland

A film produced by COSLA and the Democratic Society profiles participatory budgeting and the COSLA/Scottish Government commitment that 1% of council budgets will be subject to PB by 2021.

Participatory Budgeting in the Shetland Islands

Shetland Islands Council has produced three short films about Participatory Budgeting (PB).

Showcase: Money £or Moray

Money for Moray, formed of volunteers from the Joint Community Councils of Moray, area forums, and village halls and associations in Moray, invited community and voluntary groups to put forward projects that tackled social isolation. Watch the showcase to find out more about their participatory budgeting events and the importance of working with other local groups.