AUTHOR: DAVID HALL, DIRECTOR AT CLOUDY IT
With just weeks to go before the May local elections, councils are taking stock of the last 12 months. The biggest change has been the shift to remote working, and among the biggest winners has been local democracy, with online council meetings enjoying far greater participation from both councillors and public than was typical with traditional, face-to-face meetings.
AUTHOR: PETER KEELING, VOTING INFORMATION MANAGER AT THE DEMOCRACY CLUB
Democracy Club is a Community Interest Company which builds online voter information tools for UK elections. We run the UK’s national polling station finder at WhereDoIVote.co.uk (in conjunction with The Electoral Commission), and a database of UK elections and candidates at WhoCanIVoteFor.co.uk. We’re a small team, supported by hundreds of volunteers. We work openly, and all our data is free to access.
AUTHOR: DAVID HALL, DIRECTOR AT CLOUDY IT
How time flies when we’re enjoying ourselves. It’s one year on from the first lockdown when, almost overnight, councils had to switch to virtual meetings. Video-conferencing platforms such as Zoom and Teams went from hitherto obscurity in local government circles to mainstays of the democratic process.
AUTHOR: CLLR LILLIAN BURNS, NALC NATIONAL ASSEMBLY MEMBER AND PART OF NALC'S CLIMATE CHANGE TASK AND FINISH GROUP
NALC’s recent climate change survey of local councils asked: "What carbon-reducing measures are you working on in the community?"
AUTHOR: DANNY KRUGER MP FOR DEVIZES, WILTSHIRE
During the pandemic, we’ve seen a welcome upsurge in voluntarism and generosity across villages and towns up and down the nation. In Devizes, St James’ Church was especially quick to mobilise resources and get stuck in. Within just a week of asking congregants and other locals to help, 344 volunteers had been vetted and referenced. This marked the start of three busy months of leafleting, delivering essentials and checking on vulnerable members of the community.
AUTHOR: JO HAND, CO-FOUNDER, BUSINESS AND COMMUNITIES AT GIKI ZERO
Three-quarters of councils have now declared a climate emergency in the UK and a crucial next step is working through what this means in terms of councils’ operational and residents’ carbon footprints. Many councils will be considering, or already working towards Net Zero, and a key requirement to get there, is motivating residents to recognize the benefits of a low carbon transition.
