Like many local authorities Durham CC faces significant budget cuts.  The unitary authority, which serves over half a million people, must reduce its spending by £224m by 2017.

With £100m still to be identified, there are difficult decisions ahead and inevitably changes to services and how they are delivered.

Involving the public in the decision-making process has never been more important – so how do we do it?

The council has been a trailblazer for the concept of ‘participatory budgeting' (PB) since it was established as a unitary council in 2009. In fact Durham CC has gained an international reputation for its PB approach, hosting visits from delegates from Denmark and the United States keen to see how it works.

PB sees local residents attend community events at which not-for-profit groups and organisations bid for a share of a cash pot.  The winners are voted for directly by the public via a ballot box approach. Since its first PB event in March 2011 the council has welcomed nearly 19,000 people to 40 events hosted by our 14 Area Action Partnerships (AAPs).

These events have seen £1.5m awarded to local groups and have become an important fundraising opportunity for the organisations as well as a much-valued chance for local people keen to have their say. In addition the funds we have available have been boosted as a result of partnerships with clinical commissioning groups and town and parish councils.

It's that tried and tested local democracy blueprint that led us to take our latest budget consultation to these events.