Lower Poland to pioneer in participatory budgeting

Marek Sowa, marshall of the voivodship, announced that in 2016 as much as PLN 6 million will be divided between five subregions in Lower Poland and Kraków. "We are the first region, which introduced a paricipatory budget on the voivodship level. We want to realize projects in a district scope at the value of PLN 100,000 and in subregional scope at PLN 300,000. The projects have pro-social, cultural, educational, sports and touristic aims," Sowa informed. The regulations allow inhabitants of full age to propose projects for participatory budgeting if at least 15 people support it. The appropriate departaments will check whether the projects  comply to legal norms, to the voivodship's competences and duties, to realization possibilities and to real costs.