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
Getting to Know You
In this lesson pupils will share their likes and dislikes as well as what makes them special. Activities provide lots of opportunities for pupils to learn about their classmates and…
Conflicting Rights
In this lesson pupils will revisit their knowledge of human rights to consider situations in which people’s rights may appear in conflict with one another. Pupils will debate how they…
Who Can Help?
In this lesson pupils will learn about the ‘special’ people who help in their community. They will consider who can help them in different situations and how they can ask…
More Economics, Money and Managing Resources resources
How Does the Budget Impact Me and Others?
The resource consists of two activities. The first is a notation task based on the information provided about the...
Why Do We Pay Taxes? (Part 2)
Pupils will learn that councils are responsible for local spending decisions and can raise additional funds for public services through council taxes. To access this content, register for our School…
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…
More Politics and Democracy resources
Who Runs the Country?
In this lesson pupils explore who runs the country and how they are elected. Pupils will learn about the important role that MPs play in representing the people who live…
Democracy (Part 3): Why Do We Have Laws?
This lesson forms the final part of a three-part unit on democracy. Pupils learn about democracy and the rule of law. They discover the different roles of parliament, government and…
COP: Climate Action
In November 2021, COP26 took place in Glasgow. It was the most pivotal climate summit of all time. This resources will explore what COP is and what COP26 aimed to…
More KS4 (ages 14-16) resources
Sentencing Myths (SmartLaw Subscription)
This short activity challenges young people’s perceptions of current sentencing guidelines. It can be run as a standalone activity or as an extension activity as part of a mock trial…
Voting and the General Election
This resource pack is the second of a four-part set which has been designed to introduce students to the...
What is a Political Party?
This resource pack is the fourth of a four-part set which has been designed to introduce students to the...
More KS5 (ages 16-18) resources
Housing Law (SmartLaw Subscription)
In this lesson students explore a range of different housing situations someone can find themselves in. They examine some of the common legal issues concerning housing including common landlord and…
What is Media Bias?
During this lesson students explore what bias within the media is and how it differs from fake news. They...
Sentencing Myths (SmartLaw Subscription)
This short activity challenges young people’s perceptions of current sentencing guidelines. It can be run as a standalone activity...