Get the Flash Player to run this video clip.
Wendy, working group member: It is people in the community deciding what they want in the community and going out to get it really
Councillor Graham Middleton: Community empowerment like I say we don’t make the decisions this is down to the voting community
Wendy, working group member: Well I am on the working group so we go along to meetings every month and we talk about how it is going to be organised how we are going to set up the event how we will help people sort out there applications and how they are going to get that across at the event how they are going to show why they want the money and why they should get it really.
Eddie, working group member: Actually it’s a great group we meet every month and we decide how the event is going where the event is going to be held and when the applications come in the working group decides which ones meet the criteria.
Narrator: It hasn’t been roses all the way mind we had to work really hard to get to grips with something’s
Wendy, working group member: Sometimes you can get a bit heated people have opinions and obviously they want to say there opinions and people do.
Narrator: Just like last year we asked all the residents of our three wards to come up with ideas to make where they live Cleaner Greener or Safer.
Andy, Ward Co-ordinator: We’re not debating the project, we’re just seeing if they actually fit one of those three.
Narrator: It was really hard not to start making decisions our selves about which ideas should be funded. All we had to do was decide was it Cleaner Greener or Safer.
Maggie, Project Manager: Who thinks that it doesn’t fit the criteria?
Neil Quinn, Ward Co-ordination Manager: That’s the majority says no, so it’s rejected.
Narrator: We also had to take into account that there was even more interest in Udecide this year so we needed to check out bigger venues look at how we managed the voting and deal with all the issues involved in planning a much bigger do. But on the day we had another great event
Wendy, working group member: Well there were obviously people outside meeting people coming in and there were people inside to take them to there tables and everyone had a nice table and the voting system was much better as well everyone had a pad
Narrator: Like last year people had to present there ideas to the audience, two hundred of their fellow residents.
Elaine, U Decide MC: Every single person has got three minutes to come up hear and sell there ideas to you.
There are £80,000 to be spent today and it is you who decides where that money will be spent.
Narrator: There were all the usual tears, fears, fun and thrills of Udecide.
U Decide Participants: The cost is £5351.00, £244.53, £5867.00, £3406.00, £3166.26.
Young U Decide Participant: It helps us keep fit, and I’ve already got the start of a six pack!
U Decide Participants: The budget will cost £2910.00, £2393.00, £1322.00, the overall cost would be £4000.00, please give us the money.
Councillor Graham Middleton: On the day I didn’t know what to expect the previous year was really good and I just thought it would be more or less the same but that day at the Centre for Life was totally different a lot of community groups that I did not know of were there, some of the schemes that were put forward and some of the presentations. I started to cry
Young U Decide Participant: We really need a park please give us your votes.
Councillor Graham Middleton: In probably four years of being a councillor probably the best day of my life.
Narrator: In the end the people decided to fund twenty seven out of the thirty three ideas put forward
Elain, U Decide MC: Right, quite simply, have you enjoyed today’s event press one for yes and two for no.
Narrator: So did all the planning and hard work pay off this year? As usual we all had different views.
Wendy: I think it is much better I think it’s a nicer environment and it’s much bigger to be honest its much nicer more professional I think.
U Decide Participants: It’s a lot bigger than last year it’s been yeah it’s been good.
Young U Decide Participants: It got pretty boring in the middle cos we weren’t doing nothing but then it got exciting when it was our turn to be doing it. It was cos you were occupied and when it got to your turn it got more exciting.
Narrator: But it was a good test of our ability to work together
U Decide Participants: Well I must say I didn’t know what to expect But it was wonderful. The atmosphere was electric.
Narrator: And there was no doubt about the energy in that room
Elaine, U Decide MC: Have you enjoyed today’s events? Ninety seven percent said yes
Elaine, U Decide MC: Is this in your opinion a good way to spend public money? Ninety five percent of you have voted yes.
Councillors Graham Middleton: They have got an empowerment now the community empowerment and they are basically fighting for what they want. It was absolutely champion.
Narrator: Once again Udecide, we the people of Newcastle proved what we can do when we pull together for our neighbourhoods for our neighbours for our selves. By the way we started Udecide last year and although our pilot was for two years we hope that this is not the end of Udecide.
Watch this space We think we will be back.