LeithChooses is a mechanism for democratically dispensing grant funding to projects operating in the Leith Neighbourhood Network area, which (roughly) comprises the City of Edinburgh Council wards Leith Walk (ward 12) and Leith (ward 13), and the three Leith Community Council areas.

LeithChooses was started in 2010 (and was known as ‘£eith Decides’ at that point),  pioneered then by Councillor Maggie Chapman and City of Edinburgh council officer Lorraine Duckworth. Leith was a ground-breaker and a leader – £eith Decides was the first example of ‘participatory budgeting’ in Scotland, and amongst the first in the world.

Learn more about what Leith Chooses does.

Learn more about how Participatory Budgeting works.

For more information about participatory budgeting in general, as it is today in Scotland, see PB Scotland and explore the PB Network.

The LeithChooses project is led by the Steering Group in conjunction with the City of Edinburgh Council’s Community Empowerment and Engagement team.

The current (July 2026) composition of the Leith Chooses Steering Group is:

Name	Member of
Councillor Jack Caldwell (vice-chair)	City of Edinburgh Council – Leith Walk councillor
Lisa Clark	Lives and volunteers in Leith
Abigail Cunningham	Leith Links Community Council
Don Giles	Leith Harbour and Newhaven Community Council
Donna Hall	Works in Leith, Utilita (Leith Energy Hub)
Rachel Hutton	Harbour Homes; lives, works and volunteers in Leith
Sally Millar	Leith Links Community Council
Aine Murray	Lives and works in Leith
Councillor Susan Rae (chair)	City of Edinburgh Council – Leith Walk councillor
Guanyu Jason Ran	Leith Harbour and Newhaven Community Council
Bruce Ryan	Works and volunteers in Leith

The Steering Group meets more or less weekly throughout the year, but there is an option to attend less frequently (e.g. at monthly evening meetings), or as personal scheduling allows.

If you’re interested in joining the Steering Group, please contact us.