Susan Ritchie

Organisation: MutualGain

Biography

I am a Director of a specialist community engagement organisation that is committed to greater involvement in public decision making, and passionate about the extension of Participatory Budgeting as an integral part of public sector decision making. My public sector career before this role spanned university (active citizenship), local government, central government (Home Office) and policing.

I managed one of the largest attempts at mainstreaming PB in the UK (£2.4m), and have seen genuine success in mobilising the community in a more sustainable way through some of the small scale approaches (£20 – 30k) that I've supported. Keen to see PB develop in its original format by putting the community right at the heart of the tough decision making, I advocate for 1% of all public budgets to be participatory so that it improves community engagement techniques and the way our democracy operates.

My experience of delivering PB work includes the following projects:

• London Borough of Tower Hamlets (£2.4m)
• Home Office (ten Community Safety Partnerships pilots)
• Policing (testing the use of PB to tackle organised criminality)

I work closely with PB Partners to ensure that PB is considered at the start of any new organisational approach, listening to and supporting them in identifying the possibilities for PB so that it can become a reality rather than an aspiration.

My career has been dedicated to renewing the relationship between the state and the individual through better connectivity and greater participation of those who don’t actively participate in public life. As a result of years of experience in this field, and public sector management, I recently developed a model of organisational support that helps statutory and non-statutory bodies put the community at the heart of policy making and local service delivery.