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
Rules: You Can’t Do That Here
In this lesson pupils will consider that some rules are made to keep people safe. They will follow the story of Callum, a Go-Giver who wants to find a place…
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...
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...
More Economics, Money and Managing Resources resources
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…
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…
Local and Central Government
This resource pack is the third of a four-part set which has been designed to introduce students to the...
More Politics and Democracy resources
All at Sea: a story about fairness and the rule of law
During this lesson pupils use the story ‘All at Sea’ to explore how a group of citizens should organise a new society under a challenging set of circumstances. Each chapter…
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...
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…
More KS3 (ages 11-14) resources
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...
Your Legal Rights and Responsibilities (SmartLaw Subscription)
This lesson introduces students to the concepts of their legal rights and responsibilities and explores how the law impacts their daily lives. Students explore the different ages that various laws…
The Big Legal Lesson 2025 (ages 11-18+)
Join the UK's biggest legal education campaign during February 2025.