Coast & Country Housing has been praised by a Government minister for trail-blazing a scheme which gave residents a say in where money is spent in their communities.
Twenty projects have been allocated up to £5,000 each thanks to Coast & Country's participatory budgeting scheme called 'Your Way - You Say' which had a kitty totalling £60,000.
A short list was drawn up from a wealth of entries with an audience of Coast & Country tenants voting which ones they thought deserved funding following a Dragons' Den style presentation by those behind the ideas.
The winning projects ranged from a young people's allotment to a solar lighting scheme.
Speaking at the national Participatory Budgeting Conference in Manchester, Hazel Blears, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, ranked Coast & Country among the organisations which had been "prepared to blaze a trail, push boundaries and make a difference" by pioneering participatory budgeting.
She also urged more housing associations to follow Coast & Country's lead.
Iain Sim, Coast & Country Chief Executive, said: "This endorsement from the Minister is a fantastic accolade for Coast & Country's Your Way - You Say and a deserved pat on the back for the staff, residents and other agencies which have contributed to Coast & Country driving this scheme forward.
"Coast & Country was the first housing association in the country to spearhead such an initiative and I would urge others to embrace participatory budgeting as we have found when people have a real say and control over what goes on in their community they take more care of and have more pride in their neighbourhoods.
"Coast & Country's Your Way - You Say initiative helps achieve that goal and the inaugural event was such a success we intend to make it an annual affair."
Tracy O'Neill, Coast & Country's Head of Communities, who attended the conference, handed over a presentation pack on its Your Way - You Say scheme to a representative from Hazel Blears's team.
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