A SUCCESSFUL 2016 pilot of a participatory budgeting scheme in the Worth Valley is being followed by a fresh initiative allowing locals to decide how public money is spent.

Haworth, Cross Roads & Stanbury Parish Council ran last year's pilot which saw more than £19,000 distributed to a variety of community groups.

Organisations within the parish submitted applications for the money, and parishioners could vote at public meetings on which groups should get the cash.

Beneficiaries included the Friends of Central Park, which received £5,000, Friends of Cross Roads Park, which got £5,624 and Lees Cum Cross Road Village Association, which received £2,000.

Stanbury's share of the funding in 2016 was used to continue funding the village's lengthsman, due to no applications being brought forward from community organisations.

Commenting on arrangements for the re-named initiative for this year, a parish council spokesman said: "We are launching our newly branded ‘Community Chest’ Scheme.

"For 2017 the parish council has increased the total funding pot to £22,000, to be divided between the villages as follows: Haworth £11,178, Cross Roads £8,822 and Stanbury £2,000.

"The fund will be launched in early April, with the voting day due to take place in June in each of the three villages."