Aberdeen City Council’s Communities, Housing and Public Protection Committee received an update on implementing Participatory Budgeting, a powerful method of community engagement that also improves understanding of the budgeting process.

Several Participatory Budgeting processes have been carried out in Aberdeen since 2015 by Community Learning and Development, the Fairer Aberdeen Board and Localities and Housing.

Participatory Budgeting also aims at working with communities to review the management of council-managed open spaces to create more sustainable and safer green areas and open spaces, as well as developing a Community Environmental Improvement Fund to allow communities to implement their own small-scale local environmental improvements.

Convener Councillor Miranda Radley, said: “We welcome this update on the progress made on Participatory Budgeting.

“This is a great way that we can interact with our residents and empower them to decide on what should be best spent in order to improve their local communities.”

Vice convener Councillor Ciaran McRae, added: “Working alongside residents in order to best know how what can be done to improve their local communities remains a priority and by implementing Participatory Budgeting we can also help to create safer and more sustainable areas.”