Vote for Your Local Grand Choice
January 14, 2020
Lisburn Castlereagh is leading the way with a unique pilot project giving the Killultagh community more power over public spending in their areas. Successful local projects will receive up to £1,000 each from the Grand Choice partnership.
The villages of Killultagh have been busy generating project ideas to benefit their local communities. The council and its partners are now calling on the Killultagh residents to come along to the Grand Choice Community Decision Event vote in Maghaberry Community Centre on Saturday 1st February from 11am to 3pm to vote for the projects they would like to see happen.
Chairman of Lisburn & Castlereagh PCSP, Councillor Andrew Ewing offering support for the initiative, said: “I am delighted to see this pilot project taking place which puts Killultagh community members at the very heart of a decision-making process which affects them. People living between Aghalee and Stoneyford have really embraced the Grand Choice idea; and it is great to see this type of engagement being supported. We received applications for a diverse range of projects and ideas, including some submitted by our young people. I would like to commend everyone who has been involved in Grand Choice for their passion to support their neighbourhood.”
This innovative approach to local community funding is known globally as Participatory Budgeting. It focuses on community engagement and supporting those that may normally be excluded from traditional and more bureaucratic means of accessing financial support, whilst enabling local people to decide on issues that matter to them. This exciting approach to public funding support will be rolled out across Lisburn Castlereagh next year.
Councillor Ewing added: ‘I am really looking forward to Grand Choice voting event which will be a ‘marketplace’ type event, at which each project will set out their proposals at stalls. We hope that Killultagh residents over the age of eight get behind their local community, come along and vote for the projects they want to see the Grand Choice partnership invest money in. So remember we want those who live in Killultagh to decide which projects best meet the needs of their community.”
The Grand Choice partnership is made up of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, Sport NI, Lisburn & Castlereagh PCSP, the NI Housing Executive, South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust and the PSNI.
Details of the pilot projects that want your vote are available at www.lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk/pcsp