Persistence pays off for latest winners in Local Budget scheme

The two winners of the fourth round of public voting for the community schemes that residents think should benefit from a budget boost have proved it pays to 'try, try and try again'.

Both the Clewer Scout and Guide Group, which attracted just over 20% of the online vote in the council's Local Budget neighbourhood participatory budgeting scheme, and St Peter's Church, Furze Platt, which attracted about 17%, were rewarded for their persistence. The Clewer group first applied in July and St Peter's in June.

Clewer Scouts and Guides will now receive £2,000 - agreed by the cabinet participatory budgeting sub committee - which will be used on urgent maintenance of their Maidenhead Road HQ.

St Peter's will receive £2,000 plus another £2,000 in match funding because of the money they have already raised for a new extension to be used by the local community.

This takes to eight the number of local action projects voted for by borough residents since the neighbourhood local budget scheme was launched in July - and the message is going out to local organisations to keep coming forward with projects to add to the voting list. Importantly, residents are also being reminded to keep voting at www.rbwm.gov.uk

Cllr David Burbage, council leader and sub committee chairman, said: "Participatory budgeting is now well established in the borough and residents have again had their say on which projects should receive funding.

"We encourage residents to keep voting. To make things easier with the Christmas rush upon us we are extending the next voting deadline until February."

David Shaw, Clewer group scout leader, said: "We are so pleased to have been successful in the recent bid for Royal Borough funding, especially as it is local people who have voted for specific projects which they feel are worthy. The money will go towards painting the inside of the HQ, which urgently requires updating, and replacing worn-out heaters."

Sue Stabler, project leader for St Peter's, said: "We are really excited to receive the funds. Our extension project is designed to enable us to better serve our local community and we have been raising funds for more than 12 months. We hope to open the new extension some time in 2012 and look forward to welcoming as many Maidonians as possible."

How it works
The neighbourhood budget scheme is part of this year's £300,000 participatory budgeting (PB) programme and invites residents to vote 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 £16,000 has now been awarded as a result of the first four rounds of 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 (£2,000 now donated).

At the end of each round of voting the votes for all the unsuccessful bids are cleared so the next round of bids start from zero. That's why it is important for the organisations bidding for cash to get their supporters to keep voting each time.

To view the projects in the running for residents' votes in December/January 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 is 5pm on Monday 6 February 2012.

The results will be considered by the sub committee on Thursday 9 February.

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