The City of London is excited to announce the launch of the sixth annual Neighbourhood Decision Making program. Through the program, Londoners can submit ideas to improve their local neighbourhood for a chance to make them a reality.
A total of $250,000 is available through the program to enhance neighbourhoods across the city. Individual projects can receive up to $30,000 in funding. Projects may include bike repair stations, playground upgrades, electric vehicle charging stations, community pantries, pollinator pathways, little free libraries and streetlights, to name a few. We encourage Londoners to submit their own project ideas, big or small, since they know their neighbourhoods best.
How can Londoners make their ideas a reality?
Here is how Londoners can bring their ideas to life:
- Come up with an idea that will make your neighbourhood even better. For inspiration, review the idea booklet
- Submit your idea through the City’s engagement portal, Get Involved London. You will be asked to give some background information on your idea
- If your idea is viable, City staff will work with you to finalize it before voting begins
- Ahead of the voting period, promote the idea in your neighbourhood – create flyers, go door-to-door and post on social media to get the word out
- During the voting period from Monday, November 13 to Saturday, November 18, Londoners will vote on the ideas they want implemented in their neighbourhood. Voting will take place in-person, over the phone or online. Each Londoner will have the opportunity to vote for up to three ideas. New this year, Londoners can vote in-person at Neighbourhood Resource Centres and the City’s community centres throughout the entire week
- If your idea gets enough votes to win, City staff work with you to make it a reality
“Neighbourhood Decision Making is a great way for Londoners, no matter how old they are or where they may originally be from, to have a say in how our City spends money in their neighbourhoods,” says Mayor Josh Morgan. “The program engages, empowers and connects residents by bringing neighbours together to support community-driven projects, but it is also a great example of participatory budgeting.”
For more details related to Neighbourhood Decision Making, including idea submission criteria, a list of past winning projects and the timeline for this year’s program, please visit Get Involved London.
In 2022, the program received an overwhelmingly positive response, with 230 ideas submitted and 9,944 votes cast to decide which projects would share in a total of $250,000 in funding. The winning ideas in 2022 included Pottersburg Off-Leash Dog Park improvements, a community pantry in Westmount, bike racks at Nor’west Optimist Park playground and tree planting in Gibbons Park.
Have a question, want to fill out a paper copy of the idea submission form or need support with your submission? Call 519-661-5336 or email neighbourgood@london.ca and a member of our NeighbourGood team will provide more details.