The success of the first participatory budget in Bertrix.
Thursday, August 6, 2020
On April 9, 2020, the municipality of Bertrix (8,000 inhabitants) made the bold choice to launch its first participatory budget on Fluicity in the middle of a lockdown.
The objective: to raise the head and imagine the Bertrix of tomorrow.
The challenge was met with success! In only 3 months, 10% of the population** (from 18 to 88 years old!) mobilized on the Fluicity platform and an inclusive project was born.
Pedagogy, support, flexibility: a look at the keys to this success!
Case study on the success of the first participative budget of Bertrix (case_dusage_bertrix-1.png)
Participatory budgets on the rise
In the space of six years, participatory budgets have exploded in Europe. In France, for example, the approaches have grown from 7 in operation in 2014, to 170 (so far) in 2020.
And for good reason: this participatory democracy mechanism is particularly rich. It includes all the key steps of citizen consultation (information, consultation, consultation, co-construction). It deals with a sensitive subject (the budget, taxes) and has strong educational virtues: raising citizens' awareness of the distribution of finances and the competences of the commune, better understanding of public action and its constraints, more frequent dialogue... Elements that contribute directly to reinforcing the legitimacy of decisions, and confidence in representative bodies.
Although they may give rise to some apprehension, the first participatory budgets are generally the starting point of a virtuous circle of participation.
In 2019, typical participation generally reaches 5% of a city's population and increases with each edition. In the first cities involved, participation now exceeds 10%. In 2019, in the Department of Gers, it is approaching 25% and this is just the beginning."
Antoine Bezar, 10 questions about the participatory budget
On Fluicity, for example, the municipality of Ciney plans to launch a second participatory budget, one year after the success of the first one, which resulted in the realization of 4 citizen projects.
Do you want to set up a participatory budget in your city? Fluicity supports you throughout your project. To learn more about our platform and our support, contact us!
To go further
- How to set up a participatory budget in your community](https://get.flui.city/blog/elaborer-un-budget-participatif-commune-conseils/)
- Our guide to choosing a consultation system](https://get.flui.city/blog/consultation-citoyenne-bien-choisir-choisir/)
- People love participatory budgets
