Initially developed in Brazil, participatory budgeting (PB) is recognised internationally as a way for local people to have a direct say in how, and where, public funds can be used to address local requirements.

Different PB models exist, although it normally involves members of the community deciding through a voting process how to spend part of the budget of a public agency such as a local authority.

On March 18 Castlemilk saw participatory budgeting with a twist. They called it ‘community funding’, but rather than being about a community of place this event was about funding for two school communities.

One Parent Families Scotland and Ardenglen Housing Association brought together two communities of interest, John Paul II and Miller Primaries to hear from pupils and parents on how each school should spend £10,000 to help lower the cost of the school day.

Kenny Stocks, chief executive of Ardenglen, said: “PB is an exciting concept which we believe offers real opportunities for local people to have a direct say in how and where Ardenglen spends its funds to address local requirements.

“We believe PB can improve democratic participation and are really grateful to One Parent Families Scotland and PB Scotland for their help in turning the concept of PB into an opportunity to see how it works in practice.”

To can read more about the event and the wider concept of participatory budgeting, visit PB Scotland here.