Participatory Budgeting

PB Citizens Space – Briefing Paper (August 2025)

This paper explores how Participatory Budgeting (PB) has been developing in the Causeway Coast & Glens area over the past eight years. It looks at what PB is, how it works in practice, and the difference it has made locally.

Inside you’ll find:

  • The story behind the PB Citizens Space, set up in 2021 to connect residents, community groups, and statutory partners.
  • A look at the NI PB Charter (2024), which provides a framework for fair, transparent, and inclusive decision making.
  • Local examples where PB has been used, from small community funds to creative village planning projects like Sharkin Plan-It in Rasharkin.
  • The impact PB has had on individuals, neighbourhoods, and local government, from building civic skills and new relationships to shaping public priorities.
  • Case studies such as Armoy’s Open Pot, where hundreds of people came together to choose projects that mattered most to them.
  • Reflections on lessons learned so far and the opportunities to grow PB further across the borough.

At its heart, PB is about giving communities a real say in how money is spent and decisions are made.

Read the full briefing paper here

BALLYMENA PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING

Radius Housing Association are working with communities across Ballymena on their new Housing for All, Shared Housing Good Relations Programme. As part of this programme they have begun to explore a participatory budgeting programme and whether this might be of benefit and of value to young people and their schools. This is being supported by the Hare’s Corner Cooperative.

In this 1st year of the the programme (Sept. ’23 – Dec. ’24), five schools have come on board. These are: Castle Tower School; Ballymena Academy; Slemish Integrated College; Dunclug College; St Louis Grammar School. And there is a total budget of £6000 which has been split into to £1200 per school.

Young people have come together from across the 5 schools to help plan and get this process going.

RAINEY DAY FUND – COLERAINE

Radius Housing Association are coming to the end of their Shared Housing Good Relations Programme in the Coleraine area which they are celebrating with a participatory budgeting process with a pot of £35 000. The Hare’s Corner Cooperative is supporting this process.