Tuesday January 12th 2016
Midlothian Council is one of thirteen local authorities to benefit from a £500,000 funding boost designed to trial participatory budgeting, receiving an investment of £18,900.
The Scottish Government funding will be used to match-fund existing council commitments, provide support for participatory budgeting events, support communities to engage with the process, evaluation and learning. This will help fund over 50 participatory budgeting projects across Scotland.
Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, today welcomed a Scottish Government initiative giving residents in Midlothian direct control over aspects of council budgets.
Commenting, Mr Beattie said:
“In these times of unprecedented political engagement in Scotland, participatory budgeting offers communities the chance to have a direct say in how councils spend their money.
“This funding will support initiatives to give people the opportunity to address the issues that are important to their communities.
“Participatory budgeting has been used in other countries and the impact can be transformational. I hope that this is the first step in empowering residents in Midlothian and supporting their engagement with local government and their local community.”
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