Equality screening outcome report: Participatory Budgeting and Active Belfast Pilot

Published in December 2022

Contents

Overview of the screening template
Section A Details about the policy or decision to be screened
1. Title or policy or decision to be screened
2. Brief description of policy or decision to be screened
3. Aims and objectives of policy or decision to be screened
4. Who will the policy or decision impact?
5. Are there linkages to other agencies or departments?
Section B Information on the consultation process
6. Outline consultation process planned or achieved
7. Available evidence
8. What is the likely impact on equality of opportunity for those affected by this policy, for each of the Section 75 equality categories?
9. Are there opportunities to better promote equality of opportunity for people in Section 75 equality categories?
10. To what extent is the policy likely to impact good relations between people of different religious belief, political opinion or racial group?
11. Are there opportunities to better promote good relations between people of different religious belief, political opinion or racial group?
Section C Consideration of Disability Duties
12. Does this proposed policy or decision provide an opportunity for the council to better promote positive attitudes towards disabled people?
13.  Does this proposed policy or decision provide an opportunity to actively increase the participation by disabled people in public life?
14.  Provide details of data on the impact of the policy with multiple identities
15. Monitoring arrangements
Section D
Formal record of screening decision
Screening assessment completed
Screening decision approved
Footnotes

Overview of screening template

The council has a statutory duty to screen. This includes our strategies, plans, policies, legislative developments; and new ways of working such as the introduction, change or end of an existing service, grant funding arrangement or facility. This screening template is designed to help departments consider the likely equality impacts of their proposed decisions on different groups of customers, service users, staff and visitors.    

Before carrying out an equality screening exercise it is important that you have received the necessary training first. To find out about the training needed or any other queries on screening, contact the Equality and Diversity Officer on extension 6027 or by email [email protected].

The accompanying screening guidance note provides straightforward advice on how to carry out equality screening exercises. Detailed information about the Section 75 equality duties and what they mean in practice is available on the Equality Commission’s website.^_[1]

The screening template has four sections to complete. These are:

• Section A  provides details about the policy or decision that is being screened
• Section B gives information on the consultation process, supporting evidence gathered and has four key questions outlining the likely impacts on all equality groups
• Section C has four key questions in relation to obligations under the Disability Discrimination Order  
• Section D is the formal record of the screening decision

Section A

Details about the policy or decision to be screened

1. Title of policy or decision to be screened

Participatory Budgeting and Active Belfast Pilot 

2. Brief description of policy or decision to be screened

(Explain is this a new, revised or existing policy?  Are there financial, legislative or procurement implications?)

Both Belfast City Council and the Belfast Community Planning Partnership (BCPP) are committed to enhancing civic engagement and participation. This commitment is articulated in the Belfast Agenda and our Corporate Plan as well as other key frameworks such as the inclusive growth and consultation and engagement frameworks. In December 2020, we launched a new engagement platform, Your say Belfast, (YSB) which offered greater opportunity for ongoing and deliberative methods of engaging. However, we recognised that more participative and innovative methods were also required. In our 2022-2023 Improvement Plan, we included a commitment to piloting Participatory Budgeting (PB) within Belfast.

PB is a democratic process in which citizens decide how to spend part of an allocated public budget. It began in Brazil but is now used across the world as a mechanism to encourages people to get involved in local decision-making and democracy. It helps increase levels of involvement and community empowerment by bringing people together at local events or online and giving them a direct say about what happens in their community.

On 10 May 2022, the People and Communities Committee agreed to pilot PB in collaboration with the Active Belfast Partnership. This equality screening relates to the broader PB approach as well as the specific Active Belfast pilot.

A PB process can work in two ways. In some instances, a council or similar body agree a shortlist of projects or options for local area spending which is then put to a public vote. The projects or spending priorities that receive the most votes get funded. More commonly, a sum of public money is set aside to address a specific issue; local residents and groups are then invited to come up with their ideas for how that money should be spent. What makes a PB process unique is that it is local people who decide how money will be spent or which projects get funded.

Whilst PB comes in many shapes and sizes, it involves these key steps:

1. PB process agreed: a theme or issue is agreed and a public budget is allocated.
2. Ideas generated: local residents, community groups and organisations generate ideas and apply to the PB competition. Or in the case of mainstream budgeting, the council will provide spending priorities or projects to choose from.      
3. People vote: ideas are pitched and people vote for the projects or ideas that they think will make the best impact in their area. This can be done at a local community event or online.   
4. Winning projects funded: votes are counted and the projects that receive the most votes are funded.

There is usually a community celebration event or other mechanism where the winning projects showcase what they achieved, as in essence, the projects are accountable to the people who voted for them rather than the funding organisation,

The Active Belfast PB Pilot follows a typical PB process: Local residents and groups will be invited to submit project ideas for funding. They can apply for up to £1000, and subject to minimum feasibility checks, will then pitch their projects to their local community. The local community vote for the projects they think are the best. The projects with the most votes in each areas get funded. The agreed process for the Active Belfast PB pilot is:

Who can apply?

PB is open to everyone who will benefit in the Belfast City Council area. You do not need to be part of an existing group or organisation to apply for funding. As long as there are two or more of you and you have a good idea for a project, you can come together, make an application and pitch your idea. Children under 18 years old can also apply if a responsible adult or organisation sponsors you. Local people in your area will vote for the projects they think are the best.      

Eligibility

• Both Constituted and non-constituted groups can apply 
• Non-constituted groups will require a sponsor organisation (support is available to those who need help with this)
• Groups of young people under 18 years old will need a sponsor to support them through the process
• A maximum of two applications can be received from groups from within any one organisation
• Groups must contain a minimum of two or more people 
• Sponsor organisations can apply in their own right whilst also offering sponsorship to smaller non-constituted groups.

Criteria

• Safe
• Legal
• Feasible within the timeframe and budget
• In keeping with 'Move more, eat well' theme in one or both parts
• Benefit people within the Belfast City Council area
• Attendance at the celebration event in autumn 2023 to share positive impact that has been achieved. 

All project ideas must be based around 'Moving More' and 'Eating Well' to feel better. As long as applications can demonstrate how their idea will benefit people in one or both of these ways, it will be considered. The project team will check that the project can be delivered safely and legally within the timeframe and for the stated budget. Unlike, traditional funding applications, the aim is to support community empowerment and involvement, so if we need to clarify anything, we will contact and work with applicants as best we can to ensure the project can go to the decision making stage. Local area PB co-ordinators have been established to provide support and advice.  

PB funding and areas of Belfast

We are running four PB projects across the city, one each in north, south, east and west Belfast. Whilst we have provided indicative geographies based on the council's Local Area Working Groups, which are set up using the official Electoral Areas of Belfast, applicants can decide which area their project fits under best. When submitting an application, they will be asked to choose which area of the city (north, south, east or west) they want to apply to. That will determine which area-voting and decision-making event they attend. The council and the PHA are providing the PB funding, with other organisations providing in kind support. Each area will be allocated up to £16,000 for the funding of 'Move More' and 'Eat Well to Feel Better' projects.

Voting process

As there needs to be a participatory decision made, once all ideas have been submitted, a final voting process will be agreed. For example, how many votes each person will get and what ratio of projects can be funded. If an area is oversubscribed with ideas, it may be that only 60 per cent of projects can be funded. Where an area does not receive enough project submissions to equal the funding pot, residents are still required to make a decision as to which projects should be funded. In this instance, the ratio of projects funded may increase to 80 per cent. This is standard PB process. To ensure that submissions are received form across all four areas, we are working with local community groups and are holding a series of information events in local areas across the city.

Voting will take place in person at a special market stall decision-making event. At these events, all the projects seeking funding set up a market stall to 'sell' their project idea to local residents. Residents visit each stall before deciding which projects to vote for.    

All those who attend the market stall events (aged four years old and over) will be given a specified number of votes, which they then use to vote for the projects they'd like to see happen. People must vote for multiple projects and cannot put all or more than one vote toward a single project. They must also use their full allocation of votes and choose other projects too. This ensures fairness and collaboration. The projects with the most public votes will be awarded up to £1,000 to make their idea happen.

3. Aims and objectives of the policy or decision to be screened

(What is the policy trying to achieve?)

The broad aim of PB within Belfast is to enable:

• Greater involvement from residents in community planning and civic engagement; and
• Increase participation from those individuals and communities who do not normally get involved. 

We also expect PB to bring these benefits:

• Improved local impact: local people know their area better than anyone. By giving them a direct say on how money is spent, it helps ensure that public money achieves the best possible results.
• Innovation: in many cases PB leads to innovative approaches and the testing of new ideas that might never happened otherwise, often helping to transform communities in new and positive ways.
• Community wealth-building: by enhancing the capacity of residents and communities to engage with council and giving local people a voice it strengthens community capacity.
• Improved relationships: PB builds stronger relationships and trust between people, communities and public organisations. This in turn, increases confidence in local government such as Belfast City Council and community planning.

The specific aims of Active Belfast pilot are to:

• Promote the active Belfast message of 'More people, more active, more often'
• Promote eating healthily message 

Whilst also:

• Empowering and supporting communities to have a voice in decision-making in their areas
• Reducing barriers to participation and increasing access to funding
• Testing something new, collaborate and learn together from the process
• Raise awareness of PB

4. Who will the policy or decision impact?

Consider the internal and external impacts (both actual or potential) and explain.

PB is open to all organisations and all residents. Whilst individual members of the public cannot be considered for PB funding, they can vote for the projects they’d like to see funded or come together with other residents and compete for funding as a group. Staff are not directly impacted by the policy. However, as we are introducing a process that is new for staff, there will be new skills, procedures and learning.

5. Are there linkages to other agencies or departments?

The PB process is being piloted by the Active Belfast partnership and is joint funded by the Public Health Agency and the council. Representatives from the community and voluntary sector are also actively involved in the design team. In addition to the policy, community planning and the Active Belfast (BHDU) teams, officers from across the council have also been involved in the development of this pilot including liaison with legal and financial services. This is a test-and-learn pilot, so subject to a successful outcome, PB may be rolled out across other services and community planning functions.     

Section B

Information on the consultation process, supporting evidence gathered and has four key questions outlining the likely impacts for equality and good relations

6.  Outline consultation process planned or achieved

At the start of any PB process, a design team is brought together to develop and manage the PB process. Design teams normally comprise partner organisations and community representatives. Decisions are taken collectively by this team and are brought to the council or the relevant partnership for noting. Legal and financial constraints will be fed into the design team as appropriate. For the Active Belfast PB pilot, a multi-sectoral design team was established with representation from these organisations:

• Belfast Community Planning Partnership and the voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE) panel
• Belfast Health Development Unit
• Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
• North Belfast Health Partnership
• Greater Shankill Partnership
• East Belfast Community Development Agency (EBCDA)
• Belfast City Council
• Public Health Agency
• Ligoniel Village
• Forward South Partnership
• West Belfast Partnership Board
• Community Places (independent consultant)
• GLL (the social enterprise company responsible for managing the council’s leisure centres)

As part of the Active Belfast PB pilot, we:

• created a dedicated PB hub on Your say Belfast (YSB) which provides detailed information and signposts to where people can get help
• established local area PB co-ordinators in each area of the city. Community representatives from the Area Partnership Boards or similar organisations are fulfilling this role. 
• are holding a series of information events in local areas and online where people can get more information, advice and guidance.
• will use social media, targeted newsletters and mailing lists to promote the applications process and local area voting events.

At the final voting events, the local community will decide which projects they feel will have the best impact on 'Move more and eat well' in their local area. The projects with the most votes will be funded, thereby allowing local people to have a direct say on where the PB funding is spent.

Controls are put in place to ensure fairness and equity, for example participants are required to vote for more than one project. So, even if a specific project can mobilise significant support, for example a school or sports club, their supporters must still cast their allotted votes and vote for other projects. Whilst online displays and voting can enable wider participation, the market stall decision-making event, encourages local discussion and dialogue which can be particularly beneficial for enhancing collaboration and building contacts.

For example, in a recent PB exercise in Northern Ireland, a men’s shed and an older people’s group made new connections at the market stall PB event. These connections led to the men’s shed building benches for the older people’s group.

7.  Available evidence  

What evidence or information (both qualitative and quantitative) have you gathered to inform this policy? Set out all evidence to help inform your screening assessment.

It is important to record information gathered from a variety of sources such as:

• monitoring information
• complaints
• research surveys
• consultation exercises from other public authorities

Table 1 Percentages of survey participation rates based on religious belief or community background

Table 2 Percentages of survey participation rates based on national identity or community background

Table 3 Percentages of participants' responses to dual language street signs consultation based on Belfast postocdes

The consultation asked participants to provide the first part of their postcode.

Diagram of responses on Belfast postcode question in Your Say consultation

The diagram shows:

• numbers without brackets are total responses for each Belfast postcode
• percentages in brackets are survey responses of population for each Belfast postcode

Table 4 Census 2021 percentages of ethnic groups in Belfast and percentages of Belfast population's main languages 

Table 5 Census 2021 percentages of largest ethnic groups in Belfast

Table 6 Age profile of Belfast population recorded in Census 2021 compared to age profile percentages of participants in other surveys

Table 7 Percentages of survey participation rates in Belfast population based on sexual orientation

Table 8 Percentages of survey participation rates in Belfast population based on gender

Table 9 Percentages of Belfast population with a disability or long-standing illness recorded in Census 2021 and survey participants' rates

8. What is the likely impact (indicate if the policy impact is positive or negative) on equality of opportunity for those affected by this policy, for each of the Section 75 equality categories? What is the level of impact?

9.  Are there opportunities to better promote equality of opportunity for people within the Section 75 equalities categories?

10. To what extent is the policy likely to impact (positive or negatively) on good relations between people of different religious belief, political opinion or racial group? What is the level of impact? 

11.  Are there opportunities to better promote good relations between people of different religious belief, political opinion or racial group?  

Section C

Belfast City Council also has legislative obligations to meet under the Disability Discrimination Order. Questions 12 and 13 relate to these areas.

Consideration of Disability Duties

12. Does this proposed policy or decision provide an opportunity for the council to better promote positive attitudes towards disabled people?

Explain your assessment in full 

Partly. PB is open to all people living in Belfast and aims to strengthen civic voice and participation for everyone, including people with disabilities.     

13. Does this proposed policy or decision provide an opportunity to actively increase the participation by disabled people in public life?

Explain your assessment in full

Yes. PB is about widening participation and giving people a voice. Efforts will be made to encourage disabled people or groups working with them to apply for the PB funding and to attend the voting events.   

14. Multiple identities

Provide details of data on the impact of the policy with multiple identities

This is not applicable.

15. Monitoring arrangements

Section 75 places a requirement the council to have equality monitoring arrangements in place:

• to assess the impact of policies and services
• to help identify barriers to fair participation
• to better promote equality of opportunity

Section 75 places a requirement for the council to have equality monitoring arrangements in place in order to assess the impact of policies and services and to help identify barriers to fair participation and to better promote equality of opportunity.  

Outline what data you will collect in the future to monitor the impact of this policy or decision on equality, good relations and disability duties.

Section D

Formal record of screening decision

Title of proposed policy or decision being screened

Participatory Budgeting

I can confirm that the proposed policy or decision has been screened for:

• equality of opportunity and good relations
• disability duties

Screening assessment completed by

Name: Patricia Flynn
Department: City and Organisational Strategy
Date: 20 December 2022

Screening decision approved by

Name: Kelly Gilliland
Department: City and Neighbourhood Services, Neighbourhood Services, Community Funding and Neighbourhood Integration
Date: 22 December 2022

For more information about equality screening, contact [email protected].

Please save the Word final version of the completed screening form and email to the Equality and Diversity Officer: [email protected]. A link to this screening form will be provided to the council's Section 75 consultees.

For more information about equality screening, contact:
Equality and Diversity Unit
Belfast City Council
City Hall
Belfast
BT1 5GS
Telephone: 028 9027 0511
Email: [email protected]

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Footnotes

^[1] Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (link opens in new window)

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