Image: Falkirk Golf Club improved accessibility for its members thanks to Community Choices funding
By voting for the projects you want to see happen, you will help community groups secure funds to improve the area in which you live.
In total 50 projects have made it through to the public vote, the final stage in the Community Choices programme.
And now it’s over to you!
If you live in the Falkirk Council area and are aged 16 or above, you can vote for the projects you think will make the biggest difference to the area in which you live.
You have three votes to cast in favour of projects listed in Small Grants and three votes for those listed in the Place-based Capital Grants programmes.
You can only vote for Small Grant projects from your ward, but in the Capital Grant category there are four Falkirk-wide projects which are deemed to bring benefit across the whole Council area; everyone can vote for these.
Voting closes on Friday, 23 February. Successful projects will be announced on Friday, 29 March.
Councillor Cecil Meiklejohn, Leader of Falkirk Council said: “For the fourth time, we are urging local people to support Community Choices by voting for projects that will enhance our local areas.
“Previous funding rounds have already had a positive impact with 123 groups securing funding. In this round, an estimated £810k is available from the £3.5 originally allocated for capital projects. I encourage everyone to participate and cast their votes, as your support can truly make a real difference.”
What is Community Choices?
Community Choices is Falkirk Council’s participatory budgeting programme. Run in partnership with the Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership, the programme aims to encourage communities to develop and vote for projects that will benefit the area in which they live.
How is Community Choices funded?
In 2020,?Councillors agreed to create a Community Choices fund that would make c£3m available to community groups to take forward project ideas voted for by local residents. An additional £0.5m of funding was committed in 2023. Since Community Choices officially launched in 2021, 123 projects have secured public funds - and communities are starting to see the benefits.
What grants are available?
If you live in the Falkirk Council area and are aged 16 or above, you are eligible to vote.
You can either vote online on our consultation platform Participate Plus or fill in a paper ballot. Paper ballots can be picked up from - and returned to – all libraries in the Falkirk Council area. Check your ward online.
Anyone that is eligible has three votes they can cast in support of Small Grant projects and another three votes for Place-based Capital. You do not need to use your full allocation of votes for each grant, nor do you need to vote for both grants.
Can I vote for ideas listed in a ward where I do not live?
No, your votes count only for projects in your ward or for Falkirk-wide projects (Capital only).