The project was announced by Communities Secretary Hazel Blears as part of a package set to give communities more control over council cash and assets. She announced:
- 12 new participatory budgeting or community kitties pilots, one of which is in Wansbeck, actively engaging with local people in how public money is spent. Under the pilots, communities can choose from dragon's den-style pitches for council cash, different local groups can make proposals for a portion of public budgets, and local people can consider which ones they feel will best meet the area's priorities and needs. Such as recycling projects, health projects or local environmental issues, children's services.
- The launch of a new asset transfer unit to be led by the Development Trusts Association. The unit will offer an independent hub of advice for local people and authorities to help community groups take control of disused public buildings if they can prove they can put them to better use. Its advice will be available to people from all over England, and will draw on the experience of 20 buildings whose transfer has already been completed, or will be signed off within the next 12 months, with government support.
All of this puts more control into the hands of the community. It's clear that people want to be more involved in the decisions that affect their local area. Nearly three quarters of people feel they should be able to influence how council tax is spent, and over two fifths would personally like to be involved.
Communities Secretary, Hazel Blears said "I want to see a new relationship between Government and the people it serves – more doors open to active citizens, more opportunities for people to have a say in the issues they care about, and power increasingly exercised not by a well-meaning executive on the community's behalf, but with and by and through people themselves. Not just because this is the right thing to do, but because it's the smart thing to do.
"Residents are happier with their local area when they are given more say and more control over local decisions. Getting involved in the public spending process will give people a better understanding of, and more confidence in the choices their local authorities make.
"Our ambition is for community kitties to be a reality in every area by 2012. These pilots and the new asset transfer unit will put more local people in the driving seat, giving them the knowledge and the experience to get involved, and will help bring devolution to the doorstep.''
The new participatory budgeting pilots will deliver real benefits in engaging with the local community. Wansbeck District Council is piloting the participatory budgeting approach in Northumberland, as it wants to influence the way that the new unitary council in Northumberland delegates funding to local communities for decision making in the future. Wansbeck Centre for Voluntary Service is leading the pilot, which is being prepared in partnership with the council and local strategic partnership (Wansbeck Initiative).
A steering group of local residents is being supported to develop the criteria, which will be publicised throughout the area to encourage local communities to develop projects. People will be supported to develop ideas and activities, which will have an impact in their local area, and which are also based on the themes of the Northumberland Sustainable Community Strategy.
Safer Stronger Communities Funding allocated to Wansbeck by the Department for Communities and Local Government is being used to develop the project, as well as provide £60,000 for local people to decide upon. A nine-month development period will culminate in a decision day in February 2009, where local people will pitch their ideas to a group of their peers and they will decide how the funding will be spent.
Declan Baharini, Wansbeck Initiative Manager, said "The idea of participatory budgeting is that local people have a say all the way through the process. They are choosing the name, they are designing the criteria, they will prepare projects and ultimately they will decide how the funding is spent. It is about putting control, influence and responsibility back into communities and helping to influence the way that local authorities and other public agencies delegate funding decisions to local people. We will learn lessons from how this pilot project develops and share the outcomes with the public authorities in Northumberland and across the UK."
Steve Wyler, Director of the Development Trusts Association said "We are delighted that Government is moving fast on its promise to set up the asset transfer unit. The Development Trusts Association together with partners such as the Local Government Association and Community Matters expects to have the unit up and running from January 2009. It will provide practical advice and raise awareness across the whole of England, helping local communities take over underused or derelict land and buildings and achieve lasting public benefit."
