Resource

Create a Local Council Budget

How would your class spend a local council budget?

Overview

Students critically consider the needs of a fictitious town and how to spend it’s £250 million budget wisely. Working in teams, students evaluate the local needs and priorities of the town and then pitch their budget proposal to local residents. Afterwards, the local councillors cast votes for which budget allocation best supports the needs of the local community.

By the end of these activities’ students will be able to: 

  • Consider some of the competing demands on local council budgets;
  • Present their ideas on how a council budget should be spent, reflecting on the different needs of the community.

More Lessons resources

Lessons, Economics, Money and Managing Resources, KS4 (ages 14-16)

Climate Action: Circular Economies

During this lesson students explore how the economy can be used to support climate action and create a more...

Lessons, Understanding Rules & The Law, KS1 (ages 5-7)

What Happens When Rules are Broken?

Pupils consider what happens when rules are broken. They explore what consequences are, how we can ensure that consequences are fair and what information someone might need to have before…

Lessons, Economics, Money and Managing Resources, KS2 (ages 7-11)

Why Do We Pay Taxes? (Part 1)

During this lesson pupils will learn that public services are largely funded through the payment of taxes to the government. Pupils will learn that taxes are paid on income as…

More Economics, Money and Managing Resources resources

Lessons, Economics, Money and Managing Resources, KS3 (ages 11-14)

Create a Local Council Budget

Students critically consider the needs of a fictitious town and how to spend it’s £250 million budget wisely. Working...

Lessons, Politics and Democracy, KS3 (ages 11-14)

Local and Central Government

This resource pack is the third of a four-part set which has been designed to introduce students to the...

Sustainability and the Environment, KS2 (ages 7-11)

How Should We Farm?

In this lesson pupils will learn about different farming methods.  They will consider the advantages and disadvantages of these methods and learn how to identify labels that indicate how food…

More Politics and Democracy resources

Lessons, Sustainability and the Environment, KS2 (ages 7-11)

The G7 (Lesson Plan)

During this two lesson resource pupils learn about the G7 and take part in a mock G7 Summit meeting.   During the first lesson pupils explore the history and function…

Lessons, Digital Citizenship, KS3 (ages 11-14)

What is a Digital Citizen?

In the delivery of this resource your students will explore what is meant by the term ‘digital citizen’. They...

Student Tools, Politics and Democracy, KS3 (ages 11-14)

How to share learning with your peers

Originally designed to be a companion pack for the Democracy Ambassadors programme, this handy toolkit will support students who...

More KS3 (ages 11-14) resources

Lessons, Economics, Money and Managing Resources, KS3 (ages 11-14)

You Decide! (KS3)

This resource will allow students to critically consider what reasons and ways the government can take to support different...

Lessons, Economics, Money and Managing Resources, KS4 (ages 14-16)

Climate Action: Circular Economies

During this lesson students explore how the economy can be used to support climate action and create a more...

Lessons, Understanding Rules & The Law, KS3 (ages 11-14)

Law Makers (SmartLaw Subscription)

In this lesson students examine what the rule of law is and why we need it. They consider how and why laws are made in the UK and what the…