The Wider Stowmarket Community Board is a pilot scheme, intended to test the idea of participatory budgeting in mid-Suffolk, and consists of elected representatives from Stowmarket, Stowupland and Creeting St Peter, as well as community representatives. The idea is that a pot of money, in this instance £60,000, is made available to be allocated according to the wishes of the local community, exercised by a 'citizens jury' of one hundred people.
Given the imbalance in populations, Creeting St Peter provides one of the twenty members of the Board, and as a newly co-opted member of the Parish Council, I've stepped into the breach.
At its recent meeting, the Board decided that each member should be allocated five votes on the citizen jury, to be distributed within the community they represent, the proviso being that those on the Board will not vote themselves except as substitutes in the event that a jury member doesn't appear on the day.
The Board met recently, and it was decided that proposals as to how the money might be spent should be sought from across the community. So, if you have an idea, and want to draft a proposal, get in touch. Whether you are part of an existing community group, or want to form one for the purposes of this pilot scheme, this is a real opportunity to change things.
The proposals will be considered by the Community Board and a shortlist put before the citizen jury, who will watch a series of presentations, before voting on the ones they like most.
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