Lessons learned from Newham’s participatory budget programme
From an article by CitizenLab
The People Powered Places programme is the London Borough of Newham’s flagship programme of participatory budgeting. It started in 2018 with the aim of delivering the Mayor of Newham’s aspiration to create a culture of participation in the area, with the aim of increasing transparency and trust in local government, and including local people into the decision-making process.
Between 2021 – 2023, £1.6 million from the Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure levy has led to investment in 157 local projects. The People Powered Places programme stands out as one of the UK’s most extensive local participatory budgeting initiatives. (For explanation of Participatory Budgeting see here)
Newham Co-create, the borough’s CitizenLab-powered engagement platform, has been a vital tool in facilitating resident interaction with the Community Assemblies programme. It served as the stage for 16,552 resident engagements between 2021 and 2023, representing a remarkable increase from the 3,147 engagements in the 2018-2020 cycle.
The platform goes beyond just providing information; it actively keeps residents engaged in the People Powered Places’ progress. Residents can stay informed about the overall timeline, discover upcoming events and key dates.
Amelie Pollet, Participatory Democracy Coordinator at London Borough of Newham highlighted the platform’s polling and participatory budgeting features, sharing that “The dedicated participatory budgeting module enables residents to easily allocate funds through a budget simulator and prioritise local projects. In addition, the ability for residents to comment on the ideas and start a discussion has sparked lively conversations and fostered a collaborative spirit.”
The Newham engagement team scored the programme on seven success criteria:
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Boosted resident engagement
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Facilitated local discussions and identification of solutions
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Enhanced understanding and influence on priority setting
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Empowered voices in budget allocation
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Multi-mode participation
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Fostered local connections
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Ensured diversity and accessibility
The figures below show that a majority of residents involved have a positive perception of the programme. For residents involved in 2022/2023:
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89% felt more connected to their local area after coming to a Community Assembly
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85% felt that the Assemblies provide an opportunity to discuss and identify issues of local concern
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84% felt that the Assemblies provide an opportunity to be involved in decision-making
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82% felt that the Assemblies give a greater say in the allocation of funding locally
Based on the evaluation, Newham formulated seven recommendations to improve the current 2023/2025 and upcoming cycles. Here are three:
Recommendation 1: Lengthening the cycle
“One of the main challenges we’ve faced with the Community Assembly programme is the time crunch within a one-year cycle, so we’ve extended the cycle from one to two years.” explains Amelie. “With this extension, we’ll be dedicating the first year to deliberation, project application, and voting. In the second year, we’ll focus on project delivery and evaluation.”
Recommendation 2: A dedicated brand – People Powered Places
Amelie admits, "There’s been some confusion about the programme being a citizens’ assembly process, which it isn’t, given that our processes extend beyond just recommendation to actual project delivery by the residents. To address these issues, we’re transforming our communication around the programme to raise the residents’ awareness and understanding, and clarify how they can get involved.”
Recommendation 3: Improve accessibility further for more diversity
“Thirdly, we acknowledge that our voting process needs some adjustments,” Amelie shares. “We’ve heard from some residents that they would prefer the option to vote for their favourite projects offline. Therefore to ensure we’re providing an accessible and inclusive process, we are planning on extending opportunities for in-person voting in each neighbourhood by organising buzzing voting events alongside online voting,”
The People Powered Places programme in the London Borough of Newham represents an impressive example of participatory democracy in action. The programme has made significant strides in enhancing transparency, fostering a sense of community, and empowering residents.
Read the full article here.
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From an article by CitizenLab, 26/09/2023