Financial thumbs-up for two more neighbourhood schemes

Two popular local projects scooped more than half of the votes in the second month of the Royal Borough's innovative scheme to give a financial boost to community schemes and projects.

Top of the people's vote in the new online Local Budget neighbourhood participatory budgeting scheme which attracted a total of just over 1,000 votes in August - were:
• Pinkneys Green Scout headquarters - for essential repairs to the north wall of the headquarters to make it watertight and prevent further damage. The project received 277 votes (25.5% of the votes cast)
• Windsor Horse Rangers new classroom building. The Rangers are currently raising money to buy a secondhand classroom building to help cater for the 160 children who attend Rangers every weekend. The Rangers notched up 269 votes (24.8% of the total votes cast).

Both of the bids were for £2,000 and these were agreed at last week's meeting of the Cabinet Participatory Budget Sub-Committee.

The two latest successful bids follow the first three voted for in July for outdoor play equipment for child victims of domestic abuse, repairs to the tower at Windsor Parish Church and Art on the Street in Maidenhead.

The neighbourhood budget scheme is part of this year's £300,000 participatory budgeting (PB) programme which is seeing residents voting for schemes they want to see go ahead in their local areas.

Parish councils, community groups, charities and individual residents bid for up to £2,000 of Royal Borough funding to boost local action in streets and communities - and then local people vote online for their favourites.

A total of £50,000 of capital funding has been made available:
• £40,000 for bids of up to £2,000 (a total of £10,000 has now been awarded as a result of the first two months' voting)
• £10,000 to provide additional funding to the projects where the organisers can demonstrate that they have worked hard to attract matched funding or help.

Cllr David Burbage, Council Leader and Sub Committee Chairman, said: "I am delighted that our initiative has generated even more interest in this second month of voting - with more than 1,000 people taking the time and trouble to vote online this time round compared with 700 in the first month.

"This is an excellent example of the Big Society at work with local people having a direct say in how public money is spent on schemes and projects which will benefit their communities. So please carry on voting for your favourites in the coming months."

Erica Hunter, Group Scout Leader of Pinkneys Green Scout Group said: "We are delighted to have been successful in the August bid. This scheme is a great way to involve local people to take responsibility for projects which will benefit their neighbourhood and we are grateful to everyone who voted for us. This money will enable us to repair a damp wall where the plaster has come off, making a better environment for the 100 children who use our hall every week."

Karen Meade of Windsor Horse Rangers, said: "We are thrilled to bits with this money and would like to thank everyone who voted for us. We are now in a much better position financially to be able to buy and refurbish a secondhand classroom and will hopefully achieve this before the winter. It will make a huge difference to the 160 children who take part in activities every weekend as we are really struggling for space at the moment. "

At the end of each month's voting process the votes for all the unsuccessful bids will be cleared so all the next round of bids start from zero.

To view the projects in the running for residents' votes in September go to the home page of the Royal Borough website at www.rbwm.gov.uk and click on Your Local Budget to find the list of projects and cast your vote. The closing date for entries is Friday 30 September.

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