Local authorities should avail simplified budget versions to citizens to enable residents to make meaningful contributions to the budget formulation process, a local governance expert has said.
Speaking at a recent public finance management meeting for civil society organisations organised by Gweru Residents and Ratepayers Association in conjunction with the Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development, governance expert Vincent Chakunda said councils had a tendency to issue budget versions which are not user-friendly to the general public.
“Imagine as a civil society you struggle to comprehend some components in the budget, what more of an ordinary citizen?
“There is a need for local authorities to avail citizen budgets that would enhance participation in the budget formulation given that simplified budgets are user-friendly,” he said.
A citizen budget is a simplified, less technical version either of a national or local authority budget.
“There are fears that local authorities resist these simplified versions of citizen budgets because they don’t want residents who take them to task on how finances are utilised,” Chakunda said.
Speaking at the same meeting Gweru Residents Forum director, Charles Mazorodze, called on local authorities to share budget proposals on social media platforms.
“If people have limited access to budget documents there is bound to be low active participation by residents in local government budgeting,” he said.
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