Local Elections 2018: Six things your local council decides onHow much do you know about your local council – what it does, how it’s spending the council tax you pay each month, and how you can affect the decisions it makes? As if often the case with politics, the answer isn’t straightforward. In...Posted 26 Apr 2018
Local Elections: Diverse voices are being drowned out by the undemocratic voting system in England and WalesWe are now but two weeks from the 2018 local elections. If you live in London you will have the chance to elect councillors for the first time since 2014. If you reside in the...Posted 19 Apr 2018
Seven things you need to know about the local electionsBlink and you’ll miss the coverage, but local elections are happening on Thursday 3 May in England. A lot has changed since these seats were last contested, in 2014. We had the Conservative/Lib Dem coalition government,...Posted 16 Apr 2018
Local newspapers play a key role in our democracy and their decline is concerning“When trusted and credible news sources decline, we can become vulnerable to news which is untrustworthy.” So said the Prime Minister last week – representing fears even at the very top over the decline of...Posted 14 Feb 2018
A chance to do Welsh local elections differentlyWhile the Wales Act’s passing earlier this year didn’t come without its challenges, the legislation does mean that a range of new powers will soon be devolved to Wales, including those over elections. This ultimately...Posted 11 Oct 2017
Wales tears down barriers to democracy as England fortifies themLast week Wales has shown just what devolution can do: allow new ways of doing democracy. On Tuesday the Welsh government launched a consultation that has the potential to be a game-changer when it comes...Posted 27 Jul 2017
Democracy, Diversity and English DevolutionThe excitement of the general election aside, it’s important to remember that there are other important elections coming up – ones that have gone largely under the national radar. As well as important local elections...Posted 19 Apr 2017
Local democracy in Scotland needs all of usHere’s a fact for you: a quarter of Scots in a recent BMG poll for the ERS said they would rather finish the ironing than go and vote in a council election. While our commitment to neat...Posted 12 Dec 2016
How to give the London Assembly the clout it needsThis week is European Local Democracy Week 2016, and to mark it, we’ve been running a series of articles on how to make the London Assembly more democratic. Today, Martin Hoscik, Editor of MayorWatch, gives his view on...Posted 14 Oct 2016
Time to beef up the London Assembly?It’s fair to say that the London Assembly doesn’t get a great deal of attention – despite having a strong claim to being the hub of devolved politics in England. So for European Local Democracy Week we thought...Posted 14 Oct 2016