Chewing over Parliamentary reforms, here’s Jenni Russell from the Guardian last week: “One experienced Commons civil servant is blisteringly critical of the way in which most MPs have accepted the culture in which they now operate. While some committees and chairs are excellent, many MPs can’t be bothered. “They’re just not interested in the core [...]
Posts under ‘Councillors’
A new deputy in town
At the risk of loading expectations onto someone, it’s very good news to see that Bill McCluggage has been appointed as Deputy Government CIO in Cabinet Office. I did some work with Bill over the last eighteen months in Northern Ireland where he was a very powerful advocate for getting local councillors and councils to take [...]
I'm a councillor – get me out of here!
Here’s a video clip about the ‘I’m a councillor – get me out of here’ project – and here’s a bit of background to the film. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCQH0HNqDO8] It’s a really brilliant project – where local authorities have any interest in being creative about the way councillors engage with young people (a learning experience – and [...]
Pro-social councils
Here’s the RSA’s Matthew Taylor making the case for a pro-social framework for local government. This bit may seem like a triumph of hope over expectations, but it’s interesting to ask ourselves why that would be: “Engage local councillors in a redefinition of politics and social change, moving from a government-centric to a citizen-centric model. [...]
Last minute reminder
If you haven’t registered for the ‘Councillors Connected: The Social Media Online Conference‘, you can still register now. It happens online and it starts tomorrow. The confirmed speakers include… Councillor Richard Kemp, of Liverpool City Council, Deputy Char of the LGA Executive and Leader of the LGA Liberal Democrat Group Councillor James Cousins, of the [...]
Structural changes ignored?
I missed this at the time, but here’s an example of what happens when you spend a fortune on a commission and ask them to ignore the trees while describing the wood. In Public Service magazine, Professor Michael Clarke offers an account of his work as chairman of a committee that looked at the city’s [...]
Live-in Councillors?
I’ve just discovered the Local Government Officer’s blog. It’s a really good blog that does (as a visitor remarks) what blogs do best – anonymous low-horizon perspective commenting from an insider. The latest post asks the question: Is it better for Councillors to live in the area that they represent? Or, more accurately, how much [...]
Escape End
Time for one last look at the Conservative party’s local government green paper Shift Control. A quick canter through chapters four and five, and then some conclusions. Chapter Four is about spending. It says a Conservative Government will: give local people greater control over how central government funds are spent in their area; phase out [...]
Home PgDn
Time for a look at Chapter three of the Conservative local government green paper, Shift Control. This chapter is the section of the green paper that focuses on democracy, so there’s a lot to talk about. The chapter says that a Conservative Government would: provide citizens in all our large cities with the opportunity to [...]
SysRq F12
Part three of a series of articles looking at the Conservative local government green paper, Shift Control. This time, chapter two. This chapter is about localism, and promises that a Conservative Government would: give local residents the power to determine the balance between the level of council tax and the level of services delivered; drastically [...]
A blog about representative democracy, social media and a conversational politics. How will peer-to-peer communications change local democracy? How is representation changing? 
