Community will have a say on how cash is spent
Council reveals fund plans
Finer details of a new fund that will see Renfrewshire communities choose how cash is spent in their area have been revealed by council chiefs.
The Infra s t ructure and Assets Community Investment Fund - which was agreed by elected members last year - is set to be launched in May and will ask residents to put forward “imaginative and innovative” ideas for improvements in their town or village.
Documents due to be presented to the infrastructure board today detail for the first time how the project will be implemented.
Council bosses have recommended £1.2million is set aside for the fund over a three- year period and proposals for every community in Renfrewshire will be brought forward.
Public engagement will be carried out over three phases.
The first one - running from May to July - will invite residents to share their suggestions on improvements they would like to see in their area, which will form a ‘long list’ of potential projects.
The next stage - from August to September - will see officials carry out a
“technical assessment” of the projects put forward to check if they meet certain criteria before forming a shortlist of investment proposals.
Finally, during the third phase in September, residents will be asked to vote on which projects they wish to see proceed.
In his report to the board, director of infrastructure Gordon McNeil said: “This fund will seek to involve communities to put forward proposals and make decisions on investments in infrastructure within their local areas through participatory budgeting.
“Not only will this give local people a key role in the decision- making process around improving infrastructure within their area, but the council will gain a better understanding of community priorities.
“To ensure all areas benefit from this investment, we will bring forward proposals for every area of Renfrewshire, with local communities shaping the investments that will bring benefits and improvements in their local area.
“Communities will be asked to be imaginative and innovative when it comes to bringing forward potential projects for inclusion within the programme.”
Councillors will be asked to rubber-stamp the implementation plan during the board’s virtual meeting this afternoon.
Once the consultation process is complete, it is anticipated works would begin on successful projects either during the final few months of this year or the start of next year.
When officers come to shortlist proposals, they will be looking for ideas that will have wide community benefits and projects which will ideally cost between £5,000 and £50,000.
They will also assess suggestions based on whether there are plans for similar work already in the pipeline and will consider whether additional design work would be required for a project to be implemented.
Certain projects such as festive lighting cannot be considered as these would have a “significant” ongoing revenue cost for the council.
The local authority has said it will work to try and engage with residents who usually face problems with participation in consultations.
Mr McNeil added in his report: “With the current restrictions, there will be a requirement to think differently about the way in which local people are able to engage in the process, with specific focus on engaging with people who may be more unlikely to participate or face barriers in terms of participation.
“It will be important to utilise all existing and new communications channels to promote the launch of the initiative and to continue the conversation with communities as this progresses.”
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