Questions About PB

Participatory budgeting is a democratic process that is best described as “Local people deciding how to allocate part of a public budget.” 

It began in Brazil in the 1989 and is now used across the world as a way to help improve and empower communities. PB gives people a direct say about what happens in their community or about the issues that are important to them. It brings people together at local events or online, and helps generate greater discussion, collaboration and accountability. It encourages people to get involved in local decision making and democracy

PB comes in many shapes and sizes, but involves four key steps:

1. PB process agreed – the council or community planning partnership agree a theme or issue and allocate a budget.  A PB Design Team comprising partner organisations and community representatives is created to develop and manage the PB process. 
2. Ideas generated – local residents, community groups and organisations generate ideas and apply to the PB competition.      
3. People vote – ideas are pitched and people vote for the projects or ideas that they think will make the best impact in their area.  This can be done at a local community event or online.   
4. Winning projects funded – votes are counted and the projects that receive the most votes are funded.

Fundamentally, the funded projects are accountable to the people who voted for them rather than the funding organisation, so there is usually a community celebration event or other mechanism where they can showcase what they did and the difference they made. 

Local people know their communities better than anyone. They’re the best people to ask about local priorities, what’s needed and what will work best. By giving local people a direct say in what happens in their area, PB helps ensure that public money is spent where it matters most and that it achieves the best possible results. 

Done well, PB also helps to build stronger relationships and trust between people, communities and public organisations. It helps empower communities and strengthens democratic participation by helping to remove barriers and encouraging people to get involved in their community and civic life. Many PB exercises result in innovative approaches and the testing of new ideas that might never have happened otherwise. It helps transform communities in a positive way.

PB gives local people real power over real money.  Through PB you can share your project ideas and potentially get your project funded. You can listen to other people’s ideas and influence what happens in your community. Importantly, it gives you a direct say on how money is spent in your area or city.