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Due to the First Past the Post element, the proportionality of the system is fairly limited
Electoral Reform in Westminster

How do elections work in Hungary?

Hungarian voters are just days away from electing a new parliament. The country has, of course, become known for its...

The UK has one of the most centralised local government funding systems
Local democracy

How are English local councils funded?

While you might think that local councils are wholly funded by council tax, in fact, local government in England is...

Also the first parliamentary election with voting from 16
Electoral Reform in Westminster

Labour win marks over 100 years of the Single Transferable Vote in Malta

Sunday mornings may be associated with big-name political interview programmes, but perhaps not the declaration of an election result. Nonetheless,...

An exciting development for Welsh democracy
ERS Cymru

Early voting trails come to Wales

This week the Welsh Government announced an exciting series of pilots on flexible voting – trialling, for the first time,...

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

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...

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

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,...

These reforms are vital for delivering better public services for Wales
Welsh Parliament

Welsh Labour conference vote is a big boost to campaign for Senedd reform

With just 60 elected members, Wales’ Parliament has long been under-resourced. But that problem has grown as Wales acquired more...

Investing in scrutiny will ensure that the Senedd better delivers for Wales
ERS Cymru

Why the Senedd needs more members

With just 60 elected members, Wales’ Parliament has long been under-resourced. But that problem has grown as Wales acquired more...

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

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...

Fewer than a third disagree with a 90 member Senedd
ERS Cymru

Poll finds growing support for properly equipped Senedd

Last week a new poll for the Western Mail, carried out by Beaufort Research, found that support for more members...

Duverger’s Law is one of the oldest so-called ‘laws’ in political science
Electoral Reform in Westminster

Duvager’s law – more guidelines than actual rules?

Wherever there are two dominant political parties, there is a steady stream of new parties hoping to break the system....

Democracy Made in England
Devolution

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...