Lochaber Your Voice – Your Choice results

Lochaber’s recent ‘Your Voice – Your Choice’ event saw 27 projects receive money from a £30,000 pot of ward discretionary budget money.  This is the second round of grant allocation using the participatory budgeting process where local people get the chance to decide which projects should receive grants.

71 projects were put forward for funding ranging from transport and sports to music and cookery with applications coming from all parts of Lochaber.

People were able to vote for their favourites either by going on-line or by visiting local libraries which had hosted Your Voice – Your Choice displays giving further information about each project.  Library staff were also available to either help people vote on-line or to receive paper voting slips if people had preferred to vote in that way.

Voters were able to vote for up to two ‘area specific’ projects and one Lochaber-wide project.

1,938 voters cast 4,953 votes for 71 projects, with voters ranging from young primary school pupils to those in their 90s and coming from every corner of Lochaber.  

Lochaber Area Leader Councillor Thomas MacLennan said:  “This process has been a resounding success as it is quite incredible that around 10% of the Lochaber population engaged in the process to vote for their preferred projects.  The mixed use of on-line voting and displays in local libraries has got the whole community talking and lays a solid foundation for further budget allocation and consultation being made in a similar way."

He added: "I’d like to thank our partners Voluntary Action Lochaber and High Life Highland who provided a huge amount of support in encouraging applications and voting and in the administration of the process.”

The successful bids and the amount received by each are:

• Acharacle school support group – support for transport - £1,500
• Acharacle Senior Citizens Club – contribution towards transport costs - £750
• Acharacle youth club – for purchase of sporting and craft equipment and resources - £725
• Active 8 NW Lochaber remote schools transport project – Contribution towards transport costs - £1,500
• Caol Primary School – purchase of equipment for nature and nutrition project - £350
• Feis nan Garbh Chriochan – purchase of music equipment - £1,265
• Fort William Football Club youth development – contribution towards all weather jackets - £1,500
• Fort William Men’s shed – contribution towards costs of installed disabled access toilet - £50
• Fort William town team – contribution towards landscaping costs - £1,200
• High Life Highland – active schools gymnastics equipment - £760
• High Life highland – contribution towards purchase of a disabled persons swimming pool access ladder - £1,500
• High Life Highland – contribution towards the staffing and resources for new ‘socialize’ youth provision Ballachulish - £1,350
• Kilmallie Shinty Club – purchase of juvenille shinty sticks - £900
• Kinlochlovin’ – establishment of social enterprise, purchase of photography and printing equipment - £1,500
• Lochaber Cinema Group – contribution towards equipment and licensing fees - £1,500
• Lochaber Foodbank –  purchase of Christmas presents for underprivileged children - £500
• Lochaber Gymnastics club – contribution towards purchase of a safety mat - £1,000
• Lochaber Hope – Volunteer costs - £1,000
• Lochaber Leisure swimming club – purchase of starting blocks - £1,500
• Lochaber Phoenix Boxing Club – contribution towards equipment - £1,500
• Lochaber Rugby Club – contribution towards refurbishment of seating area - £1,000
• Mallaig High School – Contribution towards S4-S6 pupil trip to London - £1,500
• Mallaig High School Pupil Council – for equipment and facility improvements - £800
• Mallaig Primary School Parent Council – Contribution towards pupil skiing lessons for S5-S7 Mallaig Primary school pupils - £1,200
• Rainbow baby and toddler group Ballachulish – equipment and hall hire - £650
• Secret Garden, Kinlochleven. Resources to make community garden accessible to all - £1,500
• The Tuesday Club – contribution towards transport for over 60’s club  - £1,500