Only one in five ministers are femaleIn 2009, David Cameron pledged that a third of his ministers would be women. But even today, after a reshuffle which has increased the number of women in government by three, still only one in five ministers...Posted 08 Oct 2013
Would you back ‘None of the Above’?Following the county council elections we’ve been hearing a lot about ‘None of the Above’. The IPPR recently flagged None of the Above – or NOTA – as a part of their plan to boost youth...Posted 14 May 2013
The ban on dual candidacy damages scrutiny in the Welsh AssemblySome more good news from today’s Queen’s Speech. And this time it’s for something that’s actually in it. The Coalition Government is now pledged to bring forward draft legislation to reform elections in Wales. The current...Posted 08 May 2013
Why 32,000 people will be denied a vote in MayOn Thursday 6 May, 27 county councils and 8 unitary authorities in England and Anglesey in Wales will hold elections. Sadly, they give us yet another example of the woeful state of local government. The...Posted 10 Apr 2013
Electoral Commission slams Police and Crime Commissioner electionsIt’s Official! Everyone (apart from the Home Office) who has looked at the elections for police and crime commissioners (PCCs) say they should never be allowed to happen that way again. At the Electoral Reform...Posted 19 Mar 2013
Scottish Public want bigger voice in politicsLast week politicians in Scotland were queuing up to call for more power to be exercised at local level. But it seems our politicians are coming late to the party on localism. Today we launch the...Posted 12 Mar 2013
The 300 women ‘missing’ from Welsh public lifeIt’s International Women’s Day. And it seemed the right time to show just how badly women are faring in Welsh public life. Our Welsh Power Report assesses the levels of women across politics and public life,...Posted 07 Mar 2013
STV’s Second OutingIn 2007 Scotland began using the Single Transferable Vote (STV) for local government elections. The First Past the Post system – once used for all public elections in mainland Britain – was consigned to history....Posted 27 Feb 2013
Where are the women in local government?At first glance, UK local government statistics aren’t exactly the most exciting topic for a blog. But they’re really important as they give us an insight into gender and politics in the UK today. The...Posted 25 Feb 2013
Time to Discuss Local Democracy in WalesA few weeks ago, Electoral Reform Society Wales gave evidence to the Communities, Equality and Local Government Committee about the new Local Democracy Bill making its way through the National Assembly. Is the new Local...Posted 06 Feb 2013