You Decide!

At the meeting on the 6 March 2010, £415,000 was allocated to various projects in LAP1 (which includes Weavers Ward in which the Shoreditch part of Tower Hamlets is located). Local residents at the meeting decided the allocation by a surprisingly fair and democratic process in contrast to last year's meeting, which was widely criticised for the way in which decisions were made. 

Residents chose from a list of items in 6 different categories (public realm, education, youth, elderly, crime, health). The top 2 were then subject to a run-off vote.

Once projects from each of the categories had been selected, the remaining money was allocated on a free vote basis with a run off again between the top 2 choices.

The following projects received funding:

- community shrub and tree planting (£20,000);

- park improvement project (£50,000);

- better street lighting (£15,000);

- out-of-school study support (£30,000);

- early GSCE language tuition (£35,000);

- youth inclusion and support panel (£35,000);

- youth inclusion programme (£50,000);

- engaging young people in community events (£7,000);

- graduate placement programme (£11,000);

- disability and special needs employment project (£5,000);

- swimming lessons (£7,000);

- jobs fairs (£5,000);

- support for carers of the elderly (£10,000);

- older persons' handyperson (£10,000);

- targeted policing operations (£35,000);

- enhanced council enforcement operations (£35,000);

- healthy diet for children and youth programme (£55,000).

A project that would have been useful for all Shoreditch residents and businesses was enforcement activities in weekend markets (£30,000). Sadly this project received inadequate support among those in attendance at the meeting.

For more information on the You Decide! process, see http://www.onetowerhamlets.net/