Overview
Students examine ways in which a fictional town council could spend its budget. They consider the concerns of different residents and analyse how the budget could be spent most effectively. Finally students present and justify their budgets, defending their decision making in front of ‘local residents’.
Aimed at KS4 or Post-16, by the end of the lesson students will:
- Describe the role of local government;
- Consider some of the competing demands on local council budgets;
- Present their ideas on how a local council budget should be spent, reflecting on the different needs of the community.
Acknowledgements:

More Lessons resources
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…
Fake News: The Evolution of Media
In this lesson, students explore how media has changed since the 1900s and the impact this has had on...
Democracy Ambassadors
What was Democracy Ambassadors? Between April 2018 and March 2019 Young Citizens worked with youth leaders to recruit 1,000...
More Economics, Money and Managing Resources resources
Controversial issues: guidance for schools
Children are alert to information and images they see in the media. These may graphically influence their view of the world, and not always positively. Graphic images on TV and…
What is Debt?
Students will explore issues around money, personal and sovereign debt and consider the impact government borrowing has on future...
Employment Law (SmartLaw Subscription)
During this lesson students explore the law that applies to young workers and what they can do if they believe their legal rights at work are not being upheld. To…
More Politics and Democracy resources
Law Makers (SmartLaw Subscription)
In this lesson students examine what the rule of law is and why we need it. They consider how...
What is Tax?
During this lesson, students will look at the purpose and collection of taxes. They will explore how public services...
Citizenship: a privilege or a right?
Students research what the law says about the rights of individuals to become UK citizens and critically examine whether...
More KS4 (ages 14-16) resources
Cyberbullying (SmartLaw Subscription)
According to research by the charity Ditch the Label, 7 in 10 young people have experienced cyberbullying, 20% of whom experience it daily. Support your students to know their legal…
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...
What is Democracy?
This resource pack is the first of a four-part set which has been designed to introduce students to the...
More KS5 (ages 16-18) resources
Biodiversity: Using the Law to Drive Change
During this lesson, students consider what biodiversity is, why it is essential to all life on Earth and what...
The Big Legal Lesson 2026 (ages 11-18+)
Join the UK's biggest legal education campaign during February 2025.
Mock G7 Pack
The UK hosted the G7 Summit in June 2021. Young Citizens wants to engage young people across the UK...