Academy of Sustainable Communities Award for Innovative Engagement
In June 2008 Newcastle’s UDecide participatory budgeting project was announced the winner in the Innovative Engagement category for the Academy for Sustainable Communities Creating the Future Awards 2008, which recognise outstanding achievement in the development of sustainable communities.
As part of UDecide, children and young people from across the city aged from three to 19 were allocated money from the Newcastle Partnership’s Neighbourhood Renewal Fund to spend on what mattered to them in their communities.
Over 2000 children voted in choosing priority issues and over 300 children and young people voted on the ideas submitted, ranging from an outdoor play area for babies at Walkergate Children’s Centre to the purchase of samba drums for a special school and a play area at a project for homeless families.
Nick Brereton, Investing in Children Co-ordinator for Newcastle City Council, said:
“Giving local people a greater say in how local money is spent in their communities is something which is very important to us, and we are especially committed to involving children in these decisions. We were one of the first 5 local authorities in the entire country to run a scheme like this and the only one to run a scheme aimed at children. Our ground-breaking work has already been recognised by both the government and other councils. The UDecide projects have brought huge social and environmental benefits to local people of all ages. We are delighted to have been nominated for this award, and all the young people who have gotten involved in the UDecide project can be really proud of the difference they have made to their communities.”
Thirty-one projects across England were shortlisted in seven award categories, including: bringing people together; innovative engagement; inspiring young people; low-carbon development; mixed communities; schools and the community; and vision for place.
Regeneration and Renewal magazine, Neighbourhood Renewal Project of the Year
In September 2007 Newcastle residents and members of the outer west UDecide Working Group brought home a prestigious national award for the pioneering work they have done in their neighbourhoods.
At a glittering ceremony in London, the UDecide working group won the title Neighbourhood Renewal Project of the Year from Regeneration and Renewal magazine.
In year 1, the project was allocated £30,000 of Neighbourhood Renewal money, and people from Denton, Lemington and Woolsington organised themselves into the UDecide working group. They told everyone about the scheme and encouraged people to come up with their own ideas for spending the money to make their neighbourhoods cleaner, greener or safer. Then they held a grand voting event where local people chose which of the ideas put forward would become reality. All the winning ideas were funded and put in place within four months.
“The beauty of UDecide is that the money has to be spent quickly,” says group member Isabel Smith. “There was no question of our ideas being snarled up in committees for years – the work had to be done, and it was done. That’s a very powerful result for our communities, and we want everyone to know about it.”
“UDecide is such a great thing to be involved in,” says UDecide worker Maggie McKenna. “People come up with fantastic ideas that make a real difference – and they also get experience of having to decide which of all the worthy ideas will get the money.”
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