In Yaiza, from tomorrow you can propose what the council spends on: the deadline is 10 November

There is something Yaiza has been running for four years that does not yet exist elsewhere on the island: participatory budgeting. From 1 October to 10 November, anyone living in the municipality can propose a piece of public spending for the council to carry out.

How it actually works

Go to www.yaiza.es, click the Presupuestos Participativos banner and fill in a very simple form. It asks three things:

• a short description of the proposal
• the justification: why it is needed
• an approximate cost, if you know one

No formal project is required. That is the point that puts off more people than it should: nobody is asking for a technical document, just an idea written clearly.

This is not window dressing

Mayor Óscar Noda recalls that last year a hundred initiatives came in and went to a public vote, and that Yaiza was the first council on Lanzarote to set this up. Among the things that came out of earlier rounds is the online training platform with free courses.

The councillor for citizen participation, Águeda Cedrés, names two works on the way, both from among the most-voted proposals: improvements to the small beach at Playa Blanca and modular classrooms for activities in Yaiza. Both are about to go out to tender.

What happens next

Once the window closes, on 13 November the council publishes the list of proposals received. Then the voting starts.