  The challenging task of embedding innovative participatory processes and
technologies within local government often falls upon local council officers.
Using qualitative data collection and analysis, we investigate the ongoing work
of Scottish local councils seeking to run the process of participatory
budgeting (PB) within their institution, the use of digital platforms to
support this and the challenges faced. In doing so this paper draws on
empirical material to support the growing discussion on the dynamics or forces
behind embedding. Our analysis shows that formal agreement alone does not make
the process a certainty. Local council officers must work as mediators in the
transitional space between representative structures and new, innovative ways
of working, unsettling the entrenched power dynamics. To do so they must be
well trained and well resourced, including the ability to use digital platforms
effectively as part of the process. This provides the necessary, accessible,
transparent and deliberative space for participation.
