Following unanimous approval at last Wednesday’s Council Matters committee meeting, Frome Town Council will be bringing the principles of Participatory Budgeting to the town next year.
“Participatory Budgeting fundamentally re-thinks the Council’s relationship with the people of the town” said the current Mayor, Councillor Toby Eliot.
“In some ways it’s actually quite a simple change, but at the same time it could be an incredibly important one. We want to move from a situation where we decide how all the Town’s money gets spent to one where we all decide together” added Toby.
“Every single vote will count directly, meaning that people are making direct decisions about how public budgets are spent.”
“To give you an example, we’re planning to allocate £30,000 to events in Frome next year. And we’re going to organise a public vote so people can pitch their ideas for events – and the town decides whether or not those events get funded.”
At the same time, the Council plans to introduce a town-wide discussion about options for providing toilets and a café in Victoria Park. “And again, people’s votes will directly decide which option we take forward” said Toby.
Elsewhere, the Council is also planning to use Participatory Budgeting to make decisions about how £15,000 is spent on its Packsaddle & Tower View play areas.
You can find out more about Participatory Budgeting at www.pbnetwork.org.uk
