A SCHEME that allows residents in places like Sidmouth to decide how community cash from developers is spent features in a new guide aimed at giving communities ‘more power’.
East Devon District Council (EDDC) encourages local constituents to choose how Section 106 funds, a legal agreement attached to planning permission, benefit sport and play.
And the authority’s participatory budgeting initiative has been included in 52-page publication, Localism in Action, put together by 29 professionals over two years.
The free, illustrated, on-line booklet features case studies, tools and tips drawn from real-life examples from Cornwall to Gloucestershire.
It is aimed at councillors, parishes, and public service officers who want to cut bureaucracy, create local ownership of facilities, set up community budgets, involve young people, organise a participatory budgeting event, and find hidden sources of money.
Jamie Buckley, EDDC’s engagement and funding officer, who contributed to the guide, added: “It’s been a really exciting project. I’ve learnt that the South West really is leading the way”.
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