Newry, Mourne and Down Residents Have Voted!

Residents in Newry, Mourne and Down have voted for a series of projects promoting positive mental health through increased social connectivity.

The awards of up to £1500 were made through the Communities Leading Change Participatory Budgeting (PB) campaign. Communities Leading Change is a Participatory Budgeting initiative which allows residents to decide how to spend part of a public budget by voting on which projects they think would be most beneficial and make the biggest impact in their community.

A total of 39 projects have been funded through an online voting platform Speak NMD, with unprecedented participation in this year’s PB project.

Newry, Mourne and Down District Chairperson, Councillor Cathy Mason said, “I am delighted that we have had such a massive turnout for this year’s Communities Leading Change project. Over 6000 votes have been placed in a very short space of time. Congratulations to all the projects who have received funding. The range and diversity of projects was fantastic. I look forward to their completion and seeing the positive impact they will have on their communities.”

Each group will now have until 31 March 2022 to spend their funding. The Council will be hosting events for the public to view how these projects have benefitted the area in which they live.

The Speak NMD platform is funded by the Community Foundation Northern Ireland (CFNI) through its Civic Innovation Programme. The platform will allow members of the Community Planning partnership and voluntary community sector to use the e-Panel to conduct frequent online consultations with a registered group of residents. To join the Speak NMD e-citizen panel visit: www.livingwelltogethernmd.org.