Participatory Budgeting

Participatory budgeting (often shortened as PB) is a way for people to directly vote on how local money should be spent.

It lets the public decide on budgets and investments, whether it is for small projects or big organisational plans. The number of people involved can vary, but usually includes those who use the service, are interested in the issue, or are most affected by the decisions.

An illustration of 5 hands holding up voting forms

Suitable for:

PB can be useful for making decisions because it gives power to the participants. It is used to make specific choices, understand what people prefer, and come up with new ideas. This method ensures that the voices of those directly impacted are heard, leading to fairer and more inclusive outcomes.

Type of engagement:

The Consult, Involve and Delegate Icons in a row

Consult | Involve | Delegate

How to do it:

Participatory Budgeting (PB) can be done in many different ways, depending on what you want to achieve. But no matter how it is done, there are three main steps:

Because PB can be done in so many ways, you can find lots of helpful resources on the PB Scotland website.

Advantages	Challenges
It gives people a direct say on how public funds are spent, empowering communities to make decisions that affect their lives PB makes the budgeting process more transparent, as participants can see how decisions are made and where the money goes It involves a diverse group of people, ensuring that different voices and perspectives are heard, especially those who are most affected by the decisions By involving the community, PB can lead to more informed and relevant decisions that better meet the needs of the people It brings people together, helping them feel like part of a community; everyone gets involved in talking about and deciding on important matters PB can lead to creative and innovative solutions, as participants bring new ideas and perspectives to the table.	It will cost to organise and run the process The success of PB often depends on the support of political leaders; without their backing it can be difficult to implement the decisions made by participants Getting a wide range of people involved can be tough; it needs good outreach and engagement to make sure everyone who should be involved gets a chance to participate PB can be tricky because it involves many people and needs good coordination and openness, making it hard to manage Keeping PB going for a long time can be tough, especially if political priorities change.

Advantages

Challenges

It gives people a direct say on how public funds are spent, empowering communities to make decisions that affect their lives
PB makes the budgeting process more transparent, as participants can see how decisions are made and where the money goes
It involves a diverse group of people, ensuring that different voices and perspectives are heard, especially those who are most affected by the decisions
By involving the community, PB can lead to more informed and relevant decisions that better meet the needs of the people
It brings people together, helping them feel like part of a community; everyone gets involved in talking about and deciding on important matters
PB can lead to creative and innovative solutions, as participants bring new ideas and perspectives to the table.

It will cost to organise and run the process
The success of PB often depends on the support of political leaders; without their backing it can be difficult to implement the decisions made by participants
Getting a wide range of people involved can be tough; it needs good outreach and engagement to make sure everyone who should be involved gets a chance to participate
PB can be tricky because it involves many people and needs good coordination and openness, making it hard to manage
Keeping PB going for a long time can be tough, especially if political priorities change.

Further information:

PB Scotland Resource Hub: PB Resource Hub — PB Scotland

Participatory budgeting | SCDC - We believe communities matter

Case study:

Shetland Islands Council examples of Participatory Budgeting: Participatory Budgeting – Shetland Islands Council

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