Downpatrick Local Community Groups to Have Their Say

The Downpatrick community are being invited to have their say on how funding is spent in their area.

The Communities Leading Change campaign has received project ideas from community groups that need up to £750 funding. These projects should help to build community connections in the area.

At an event, which will take place in Ballyhornan Family Centre on Thursday 7 November at 6.30pm, the community groups will pitch their project ideas and at the end, everyone attending the event will decide which their favourites are.

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson, Councillor Charlie Casey said, “This promises to be an interesting and exciting event where local people have their say on what projects they would like to see happening in their own area. The votes will be counted at the end of the event and the projects with the most votes will be awarded funding”.

Councillor, Charlie Casey continued, “As Chairperson of the Council, I am committed to working with all local communities, putting them at the heart of local service delivery and local decision-making.  Engaging our citizens, particularly those who are hard to reach and seldom heard, helps the Council and its partners to understand local issues and develop innovative solutions to improve the quality of life for everyone.

“Through the process of community planning, we are doing things differently and we are doing things better, and participatory budgeting marks a dramatic change in the way we usually work. We believe that local communities will safeguard what they have helped to create, which is why we have named the campaign ‘Communities Leading Change’.  This is your opportunity to lead the way and influence change in your local community. I would like to wish all the groups the best of luck.”

This is the second round of Participatory Budgeting events to happen in the district and similar initiatives will take place throughout all the District Electoral Areas in the coming years.