The City of Johannesburg will for the first time go to the communities with its budget; where residents will have the opportunity to see how much money is allocated for their neighbourhoods.

Through the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) feedback sessions, the Legislature will ensure that the Executive Mayor Herman Mashaba and the Members of the Mayoral Committee (MMCs), go to different communities to outline the budget.

The Speaker of the Council, Councillor Vasco da Gama had this to say about the IDP Feedback sessions: “We want to go back to communities to give them first hand information on what is contained in the budget. We want the Councillors to be fully informed regarding how much money each ward is getting through the budget. The process will also ensure that the Mayor and his MMCs are able to go back to communities to account on how much is allocated per ward.”

The Council in May approved a whopping R55.9 billion budget for the 2017-2018 financial year. The current budget was born out of the 2017/2018 IDP Review, in which the new administration outlined its plans for the next five years in office. The IDP is known as the social contract between the people and the City. It’s an approach to planning that involves the entire municipality and its citizens in finding the best solutions to achieve long-term development.

Vasco da Gama explains that the IDP Feedback process is two-fold, meaning its meant for the Executive to go back to the communities to give feedback, and also to receive the comments from the communities.

The Speaker says, through the IDP Feedback sessions, the City hopes to achieve the following objectives:

• Communities to be well-informed; the budget to be explained in detail, which programmes and projects are budgeted for and what couldn’t be covered in the current budget, the goals the City has set for itself and the problems the City faces.

• The City wants to talk to communities regarding issues that are close to their heart, be it the parks, a soccer pitch, tennis courts and any issue affecting that particular community.

• The City wants to consult and work together with communities when implementing this budget, whether they are residents or business stakeholders.

• To strengthen participatory democracy as communities get fully involved.