From social engagement to civic action – how can local government engage citizens in democracy and delivery? What can communities do for themselves with the support of local public bodies?
Professor John Boswell from the University of Southampton reflects on his experience at the Kingston Citizen Assembly and how it helped him make sense of the nuanced motivations of practitioners and the quiet stoicism of those committed to promoting better ways of making policy.
The destruction of Juukan Gorge precipitated a Parliamentary Joint Committee inquiry, the formation of the First Nations Heritage Protection Alliance, and a new partnership with the Australian Government to develop options for legislative reform. This briefing provides an overview of the options and highlights some of the issues.
Local democracy reporters employed by the BBC have made a huge difference to the coverage of councils in the UK. But with many local papers having closed, there is no guarantee that residents know what their council is doing. Our new briefing looks at the health of local journalism.
In 2022, A Citizens Assembly for Dublin City and County was addressed by a range of local government experts, political scientists, and international mayors from cities equivalent in size and scale to Dublin in order to make recommendations to the government in Ireland. These recommendations and their implications are examined in this briefing.
This is the second briefing in our series on gambling. It looks at the current application process in Victoria for new or additional gaming machines, how decisions are implemented, and (critically) whether this is achieving the aim of the Gambling and Regulation Act 2003 (Vic).
This briefing looks at the Armed Forces Covenant and the new duty now imposed on local authorities. It includes a number of case studies from authorities that have been delivering on their commitments, as signatories to the Covenant, and the resources that are available to councils.
This briefing provides an overview of the ‘Co-Design Process Final Report’. This co-design process was premised on the then-Australian Government’s commitment to establishing the Voice via legislation and not enshrining it in the Constitution – in contrast to what the Uluru Statement from the Heart called for. Here’s where everything stands today.
This policy round-up for England looks at policy announcements and publications from December 2022 and January 2023. After the hiatus of the summer and turmoil of early autumn, government departments are getting back to the usual rhythm of policy business, and there have been some significant announcements.
Translating the urgency for climate action into local communities is not always straightforward. This article by Kildare County Council’s Senior Executive Officer, Alan Dunney, highlights how a partnership between Irish local authorities and Ireland’s largest sporting organisation has been driving forward a programme of climate action activities across every town and village in Ireland.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the lockdowns imposed across the globe put a magnifying glass over local infrastructure – in many cases exposing gaps and inequality. The result has been renewed enthusiasm for 20-minute cities, which prioritise local access to services. In this collection, we dive into the urban planning ideal to provide a local government…
