What is €300K Have Your Say?

What is €300K Have Your Say?

€300k Have Your Say’ is a participatory budgeting initiative which has been run by South Dublin County Council since 2017. €300k Have Your Say allows residents to develop project proposals for their local area and then vote on shortlisted proposals in order to select winning projects to be funded up to the value of €300,000. There are no age barriers to taking part and every proposal is treated with respect. Simply put, €300k Have Your Say is about helping to create community-led projects that directly benefit you, your neighbours, friends and family.

You can visit the €300k Have Your Say site here.

How does it work?

For 2022, South Dublin County Council has allocated €300,000 for the Rathfarnham Templeogue electoral area and we want you to decide what it is spent on! We welcome you to suggest ideas through either one of our workshops or simply online at the €300k Have Your Say website. This initiative provides the opportunity for you to bring your ideas for your community to life.

During April, community workshops will be held to facilitate the generation of ideas.

More details on those will be posted soon.

Once the submission deadline has passed, all proposals will be assessed in terms of their community benefit and potential for completion. This assessment will be conducted by a panel of elected councillors and council staff. A shortlist will be created, costed and brought to a public vote on the €300k Have Your Say website. Your community will then vote for their favourite proposals up to the value of €300,000. Following the closure of the voting period those proposals receiving the highest vote with a combined value of €300,000, will be chosen to be worked on by Council staff. Please view the Timeline page for updated information on the voting stage and when the results night will be held.

This initiative was first launched in the Lucan Electoral Area in 2017 and continued in the Clondalkin Electoral Area in 2018, Firhouse-Bohernabreena in 2019 and Tallaght Central in 2021, the results of which you can view on the Past Winners page.

FAQs

Is this a new concept?

€300K Have Your Say  is a local democratic process, which facilitates citizens in a local community to directly, decide how to spend a portion of a public budget in their area. It gives people direct power to determine spending priorities to improve their community.

What are the main benefits of Participatory Budgeting?

Participatory Budgeting gives you and your neighbours the power to improve your area as a place to live, work and play. It is empowering, civic-minded and fun. It is also educational, fair and transparent.

Does it mean extra money for a chosen area?

Yes. This is €300,000 additional real money over and above the normal yearly budget for your area.

Is it only for certain areas?

It was decided to pilot this initiative in one area in 2017 with the Lucan Electoral Area (Lucan, Adamstown and Palmerstown) chosen by lot at a public meeting of the Council. Following a successful pilot, the Clondalkin Electoral Area (Clondalkin, Rathcoole and Newcastle) was chosen by lot to benefit from the initiative in 2018. Firhouse - Bohernabreena was chosen from 2019 and Tallaght Central is now being run in 2021.

Is this not the job of Elected Councillors?

It is the function of the Councillors to adopt the Annual Budget of South Dublin County Council, including the identification of spending priorities. While Councillors are elected by the people to represent their views and work on their behalf, this is an ongoing process of consultative decision-making. In this instance, the Councillors decided to set aside €300,000 extra discretionary funds to allow citizens to directly identify their own priorities for their community. This initiative is in the interests of enhanced democracy and citizen consultation.

What if my idea is already planned by the Council?

If your project proposal is already underway by the Council, or if a similar idea is part of a larger initiative the Council have planned, then your project will not be shortlisted. You will be informed of this, however, and we will let you know the reason why it wasn't shortlisted.

Again though, if you are in doubt then submit your idea and let us decide. We will come back to you on it if it isn't shortlisted and let you know why.