Residents urged to take part

Residents in South Lanarkshire are being encouraged to help decide on how £30,000 of public money should be invested within the local area.

Participatory Budgeting – commonly referred to as “PB”- is a way for people to have a direct say on how local public money is spent.

The PB process gives people the opportunity to discuss and identify what matters to them in their communities and to vote on their priorities.

It has been used across the world and more recently in Scotland to promote community decision-making and participatory democracy. PB is not new to South Lanarkshire.

Previous activity has positively engaged and involved residents of all ages.

The process has been used to help identify and deliver‘our Place Our Plan’ (OPOP) priorities and activities which are part of a local 10-year Neighbourhood Plan for three pilot areas including: Hillhouse, Udston and Burnbank; Strutherhill and Birkenshaw and Springhall andwhitlawburn.

PB activity is fully supported by The South Lanarkshire Community Planning Partnership. A statutory forum involving South Lanarkshire Council, NHS Lanarkshire and other public and third sector organisations to work with the local communities to plan and deliver services with the aim of tackling inequalities.

Community Link (South Lanarkshire’s) role is to support the community to be the driving force in developing and delivering two of these Neighborhood Plans.

Working with local groups and agencies, the communities have many achievements to celebrate since this work started in November 2017 including: MUGA (Multi-use Games Area) opening at Glenlee Primary School; Skip Initiative; Back to School Events; and Easter and Summer Programmes.