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What is a combined authority and what is a metro mayor?

Local government in England comes in many different formats, unitary, district and county councils all cover different parts of the country. In recent years, mayoral combined authorities have become an established part of the English...

Posted 24 Mar 2022

41 percent of England’s population now live in areas with some form of mayoral devolution deal

How is local government organised in England?

England’s local government can sometimes be quite confusing. The history of devolution within England is one of ad hoc, piecemeal, top-down reforms united in their lack of a clear vision. This has left different areas...

Posted 16 Mar 2022

A product of a history of ad hoc piecemeal top-down reforms

For local democracy to flourish our representatives need the power to deliver

New ERS research finds over two-thirds of councillors feel they lack the powers to represent the needs of their local community. Local government is at the front line of our democracy. It’s the closest level...

Posted 10 Mar 2022

Over 2_3rds of councillors feel they lack the powers to represent the needs of their local community

Democracy Made in England: Where Next for English Local Government?

In the context of the changing nature of UK governance, England remains an anomaly. While the centres of power in the rest of the UK have shifted away from Westminster over the last two decades,...

Posted 09 Mar 2022

Should I rank all the candidates in the Scottish council elections?

On Thursday 5 May, 2022, voters will go to the polls to elect councillors for each of Scotland’s 32 local authorities. This will be the fourth time that Scottish councils will be elected using a proportional system,...

Posted 25 Feb 2022

Here’s how to maximise your impact on Scotland’s local elections

Ministers just sneaked out a serious, undemocratic change to our voting system in England and Wales

The government is trying to sneakily force through plans to impose First Past the Post for Mayoral and Police and Crime Commissioner elections – a move which would cast the views of voters on the...

Posted 16 Sep 2021

First Past the Post will make it easier for unpopular or extreme candidates to slip into town halls

Conservative councillor: How the Single Transferable Vote broke open Scotland’s one-party fiefdoms

"With STV, we are trying to steal a march on other parties, while at the same time cooperating for the public good."

Posted 05 Aug 2021

The PM’s ‘Levelling Up’ agenda is another victim of Westminster’s warped electoral logic

The Prime Minister’s Levelling Up agenda – announced with great fanfare on Thursday – risks leaving swathes of the country ignored. In not very subtle terms, the PM suggested new powers would only go to ideologically-aligned parts of...

Posted 16 Jul 2021

The Levelling Up fund will look more like a Slush Fund if safe seats and non-Conservative areas are ignored

Elections 2021: Rotten boroughs are rife in England, as voters are hit by warped results

We’re already seeing a plethora of rotten results – with parties taking nearly all the seats on a fraction of the vote.

Posted 07 May 2021

A snapshot of the unfair outcomes under England’s zero-sum voting system

These government plans will hit 44m voters with less choice and a weaker voice

Millions of people went to the polls this Thursday in England and Wales to elect PCCs, plus Combined Authority mayors and the London mayor– using the Supplementary Vote system (SV).

Posted 07 May 2021