Equality Impact Assessment (EIA)

Participatory Budgeting - "You Choose"

Service / Business Unit

Policy, Partnerships and Scrutiny

Service Area

Performance and Change

Directorate

Executive Support

Is this a new policy? Yes
Start Date: October 2010
Completion Date (Expected): January 2011
Completion Date (Actual): 17 January 2011

Lead Contact / Officer (extension): David Berry (Ext. 3149)
Service Unit Manager Responsible : David Berry
Publication Date: March 2011

Background and Scoping

The drive to devolve increasing powers to local authorities and communities in respect of funding decisions and priorities has been a feature of both the previous and current government initiatives, and is something that has been operating in Tameside for some time through various forums such as budget consultations and our District Assembly Community Panels.

Originating amongst the poorest communities in Porto Alegre, Brazil in 1989, Participatory Budgeting, or PB, has since been used in approximately 300 cities, engaging over 12 million people.

The draft national strategy on PB was published in Spring 2008 as part of the then governments plan to achieve its ambition of PB being used in all local authority areas by 2012. PB was a major plank of the previous governments White Paper, 'Communities in Control: Real People, Real Power' published in July 2008.

PB engages people in taking decisions on the spending priorities for a defined public budget in their local area. This means engaging residents and community groups to discuss spending priorities, making spending proposals, and voting on them, as well giving local people a role in the scrutiny and monitoring of the process. In addition, PB aims to increase transparency, accountability, understanding, and social inclusion in local government affairs.

In his Annual Key Note Address the executive Leader of the Council committed to the launch of a £500k "You Choose" fund to support community groups in the Borough. The money made available for this scheme consists of funding previously allocated through discretionary grant support for local causes.

The purpose of this EIA is to consider a number of issues in respect of the "You Choose" scheme, including:

• to what degree the transition from the previous system of distribution will impact upon community groups and recipients, and in turn whether this has any equality and diversity implications
• how the "You Choose" initiative will be publicised and administered in order to ensure sufficient breadth of coverage and awareness amongst all groups
• what support will be made available to ensure that all participating groups are able to maximise their opportunity to access funding
• how the distribution of grant monies will be agreed and monitored, ensuring that such systems aren't prohibitive or too resource intensive for the recipient group

It is intended that this new approach to various grant monies will provide transparency and clarity. In addition, it will create a single point of access for groups trying to access funding, cutting down on the number of available avenues and associated administrative burdens. Similarly, by specifically tying the receipt of any grant monies to Sustainable Community Strategy aims and opening it to public vote and scrutiny, it ensures that funding is being directed by local people towards local priorities.

Anticipated Impact on Customer Groups and Rationale

“Participatory budgeting helps to develop the skills, experience and confidence of those involved. It helps to bring people together across divides of race, age, class and background to build a stronger community and engenders greater understanding of the complexities of local councils’ decision-making, including compromises and trade-offs. The decisions taken can be better tailored to local needs because local community views are built into the process from the start, and the process enables local councillors to adopt a position of strong community leadership” – Communities in control: Real People, Real Power (CLG 2008)

Promoting community empowerment and engagement supports residents to take an active involvement in their community and builds a stronger society. PB is also a fair and democratic method for allocating funding. The outcome of the process is decided by residents who are requested to vote based on specified criteria. To ensure the process is fair projects will be reviewed and shortlisted against set criteria to ensure they will deliver on intended outcomes for the grant allocation.

The PB process will use strong promotion through marketing to ensure that a wide range of residents are aware of funding availability and also to ensure a representative group of residents is voting on the projects under consideration. Councillors would play a key role in this process.

Research into funding allocated in 2009-10 shows that a number of groups accessed funding from multiple sources. Whilst legitimate, in the current climate of shrinking public sector resources, the Council needs an improved co-ordinated and strategic approach to ensure best value and keep track of public money.

Due to severe restrictions on the public purse the Council is duty bound to consider ways in which access to funding across the board is made more equitable. The new process will tie recipients into delivering projects for the benefit of their communities and in line with Sustainable Community Strategy aims. No groups will be excluded from applying for funding and full support will be given to applicants via advice and workshops.

It is anticipated that there will be a number of benefits from allocating funds through PB in this way, including:-

• promoting community engagement, empowerment and involvement by bringing people together to make decisions which affect their local area. Currently over a third of residents (38%) agree that they can influence decisions that affect their local area, an increase from 22% in 2007. This measure can be used as a useful barometer to assessing the success of PB in promoting local influence and decision making, in addition to more PB event specific monitoring measures.
• strengthening local democracy, further showcasing the role of Councillors as community leaders, developing mutual trust and confidence in representative democracy.
• giving more control and responsibility to communities to deliver their own projects and improve quality of life in their neighbourhoods
• improving service delivery by making services more targeted and responsive to community wants and needs.
• engaging the community as a partner in choosing priorities for allocating diminishing resources.

Councils already delegate discretionary localised budgets for councillors to allocate to local groups or services. This allows councillors to target their budget on the concerns they judge to be the highest priorities of local electorates.

In creating a more streamlined approach through developing a single pot of funding in the form of the “You Choose” programme, we must ensure that individuals and groups are not left disenfranchised by the change. We are aware of specific issues that will need to be considered to ensure that access remains fair and open and that no-one is left at a disadvantage.

In terms of access to funding, barriers may exist for certain groups. In the first instance communications on how to both apply for funding and attend the events needs to be accessible, taking into account potential language barriers, visual impairments and accessible forms of communication i.e. not restricting to one format such as advertising on the Council website.

Similarly, support for groups wishing to access funding needs to be made available by way of assistance with completing documentation, especially relevant where English is not someone’s first language or when an applicant has a learning disability.

Likewise, access to the events themselves, for all attendees, needs to be at a time and place that will ensure maximum turnout and participation. To this end, we will consider the suitability of building access in relation to DDA compliance; the scheduling of events so as not to clash with any periods of religious observance (in so far as this is possible); and the provision of facilities at the event to cater for varying needs i.e. signing and interpretation services where appropriate.

Prior to finalising arrangements for advertising, communicating and eventually running the “You Choose” events, all these will be considered and support and advocacy provided where appropriate.

Analysis of Evidence and Impact

Data Sources/Evidence Used

• Communities and Local Government White Paper ‘Communities in Control: real people, real power’ (CLG July 2008)
• Participatory Budgeting: a draft national strategy (CLG March 2008)
• ‘Giving more people a say’ Participatory Budgeting: a national strategy (CLG Sept 2008)
• Report to Executive Board 20 th October 2010
• Tameside Sustainable Community Strategy 2009-19
• Executive Leaders Annual Key Note Address 2010
• Residents' Opinions Survey 2007 & 2010 (latter to be confirmed)

Consultation

• National Participatory Budgeting Unit
• Tameside Third Sector Coalition (T3SC)
• Community Regeneration Team (TMBC)
• Cultural & Customer Services (TMBC)
• District Assemblies (TMBC)
• Elected Members – Board
• TMBC Senior Management Team

Conclusions Drawn From Evidence and Assessment of Impact

Analysis of grant funding allocated by TMBC in 2009-10 shows that overall over 2,000 groups, organisations and individuals benefitted. Recent National Government spending decisions will have major implications on service delivery in Tameside. It is essential that grant resources available maximise the delivery of the SCS which reflect the Communities priorities.

It is important to note that the type and nature of the grant funding differs significantly, and for the purpose of tailoring our approach to PB, we have categorised this in two ways:

• Category 1 - Grant support to provide a service and achieve outcomes
• Category 2 - Grant support to local good causes.

Grants committed in 2009-10 in category 1 include Working Neighbourhood Funding, Area Based Grant and support for Tameside Voluntary, Community and Faith Sector (VCSF) organisations.

This funding (in the majority of cases) is provided based on Council priorities for one or more years as part of an agreement and should be dealt with separately to category 2 grants. It is proposed that work should be undertaken on category 1 grants at a later date when the full implications of National Government spending decisions is understood

Category 2 grants have common features in that they are usually one off grants provided to local community organisations and are not linked specifically to providing a service set against Council priorities and should therefore form the basis of PB.

PB is a fairer and more equitable system of distributing funding to communities, and in a climate of diminished resources it is important that we use the fairest means possible to allocate funding and ensure that it addresses community needs and priorities. In establishing grant criteria that ensure money is spent by local people in their local area, and engaging in a formal and structured process, we can better track this impact and ensure most value for money.

In the anticipated impact section we outlined areas of potential concern that require attention in order to ensure full access and participation amongst all groups and communities, both in terms of accessing funding and being part of the voting at the “You Choose” events.

We will work closely with T3SC to ensure that communications are clear, concise and accessible so that ‘hard to reach’ groups are aware of their entitlement to apply for funding e.g. making materials available in alternative formats where appropriate.

Similarly, where groups wish to apply for funding as part of the process, we will work with T3SC to assist them in completing all necessary documentation. Furthermore, specialised workshops to assist with presentations will be run for those successful in being invited to present following scrutiny of the application by the DA panel. Those groups which do not feel able to present at events because of specific issues will be offered the opportunity to use advocates to present on their behalf.

Taking Action

Monitoring Progress

David Berry is the responsible officer and will lead on the co-ordination of the PB events and any subsequent follow up work, in conjunction with DA colleagues and T3SC.

At Senior Manager level the project is led by Megan Nurse, and at Elected Member level the project falls under the remit of Cllrs Welsh and Taylor

Contact officer/s

• David Berry (Ext 3149)

Sign Off and Summary

Signature of Service Unit Manager: David Berry
Date: 17 January 2011

Signature of Assistant Executive Director/Assistant Chief Executive: Megan Nurse
Date: 17 January 2011