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UK Democracy Bulletin, 5th April

An image of a tree of paper and cardboard, with ‘What do you love about nature in the UK’. A women is holding a piece of card
People’s Plan for Nature workshop (Photo credit: People’s Plan for Nature)

Monthly news, jobs, grants and gossip from across the democracy sector, brought to you by James Moulding, Louise Dunmore and Max Roche of the UK Democracy Network. Read by 400+ democracy organisations. We read everyone’s newsletters & research so you don’t have to. If you want us to cover yours, let us know: democracynetwork@involve.org.uk

Highlights

  • Voter ID just 50,000 register for a new Voter Authority Certificate
  • Welsh Government consulting on electoral systems for local authorities
  • People’s Plan for Nature launched after first UK-wide citizens’ assembly on nature
  • Fawcett Society analysis finds local authorities 95% dominated by men
  • Transparency International report lays bare revolving door activities
  • Media Reform Coalition launch new membership offering

Important information

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Thanks to our contributors

Thanks to everyone who joined us last week for our Democracy Check-In. We were joined by Perry Walker — Talk Shop, Myf Nixon — mySociety, Calum Green — Involve, Jessie Joe Jacobs — Democracy Network (Involve), Pip Eldridge — Voice of the Listener and Viewer, Ruth Hannan — People’s Powerhouse, Rose Whiffen — Transparency International, Graham Smith — University of Westminster, Tom Brake — Unlock Democracy, Aoife Clements — 50:50 NI, Diane Warburton — Shared Practice, Paul Inskip, Miriam Levin — Engage Britain, Elisha Holt — I Have A Voice, Lara Parizotto — Migrant Democracy Project, Joe Mitchell — Public Interest News Foundation, Joe Kriss — Opus Independents / Festival of Debate, Edward Saperia — Newspeak House and Frances Crook — Commission on Political Power.

Opportunities to Collaborate

Have you got a story or news related to voter ID? Byline Times want to know

Byline Times have been covering voter ID closely over the past months, contact Josiah Mortimer via josiah@bylinetimes.com for anything and everything voter ID related.

Upcoming Legislation

Joint Committee on Human Rights launches inquiry into Illegal Migration Bill

The Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) has launched a new inquiry into the Illegal Migration Bill and how it engages with the European Convention on Human Rights. The JCHR has written to the Home Secretary requesting that they appear before the committee to answer questions on the provisions contained within the bill and whether there has been adequate time for scrutiny. Meanwhile, more than 60 MPs, NGOs and academics have signed an open letter to PM Sunak urging them to withdraw the bill due to significant fears over the potential loss of human life as a result of its passing.

Lib Dems introduce last-minute bill to block voter ID legislation

On the 29th March Lib Dem MP Helen Morgan staged a last-minute intervention to try and stop the government’s voter ID scheme from going ahead, introducing the Elections (Voter Identification Requirements) Bill. The bill would reverse the obligation for voters to produce a valid form of ID at all future elections and is currently co-signed by 11 other Lib Dem MPs.

Democracy Sector

Democracy Coworking, Friday 14th April at Demos

Don’t miss Democracy Coworking in Central London on Friday 14th at Demos’ office on Whitehall. Stay for the full day or just pop by, the more the merrier. Find out more and give us an idea of numbers on the day by RSVPing here.

Democracy Network voter ID resources

You can find Democracy Network’s new voter ID resources page here. This includes recordings of our voter ID meetings and links to further information. If you’d like to include your own resources then please contact amna@involve.org.uk.

Flurry of great democracy-related jobs currently open for applications

Organisations hiring over the next month include Cast from Clay, The Small Axe, Institute for Government, British Youth Council, Public Interest News Foundation, Mozilla Foundation, Boundary Commission for England, New Economy Organisers’ Network, mySociety, FullFact, Demos, Young Citizens and more. See the full list of upcoming jobs on the Democracy Network’s Democracy Jobs Board. Follow our job updates on Twitter via #DemocracyJobs.

Migrant Democracy Project launch new campaign targeting directly elected mayors

Lara Parizotto and the team at the Migrant Democracy Project are asking all 26 directly elected mayors in England to sign their statement of support for residence-based voting rights (RBVR). Find out more about the campaign and get involved. Think you can assist? Get in touch.

Sortition Foundation hosting ‘Peerless Symposium’ on Lords reform

James Robertson at Sortition Foundation is organising a special facilitated conversation event at a venue overlooking the Thames on the 26th April. Find out more and register now.

Miriam Levin has been appointed Chief Executive of Engage Britain.

Miriam Levin is currently settling in as the new CEO of Engage Britain, remarking that they are ‘excited to lead Engage Britain into our next chapter of putting people at the heart of policy making. We’ll carry on working on health and care, testing out some new ways of working, and we will be exploring other policy areas. I’m really looking forward to working more closely with the members of the Democracy Network and driving change together.’

Centenary Action Group to host panel on how we get more women into Parliament

The 12th May Centenary Action Group event will feature speakers including Maria Caulfield MP — Conservative Minister for Women, Yasmin Qureshi MP — Labour Shadow Minister for Women, Kirsten Oswald MP — SNP Spokesperson Equalities, Christine Jardine MP — Lib Dem Spokesperson for Women and Equalities, and Liz Saville Roberts MP, Plaid Cymru’s Spokesperson for Women and Equalities. The panel will discuss how we get more women into Parliament — register now.

People’s Powerhouse seek to expand their Racial Justice Network

People’s Powerhouse Racial Justice Network aims to provide a focal point for race equality issues affecting people of the North, by amplifying the voices of northern communities and ensuring that decision makers are held to account on matters of social and economic inclusion and racial equality. Find out more about the Racial Justice Network on their new website, or contact Ruth Hannan, Director at the People’s Powerhouse.

50:50 NI run training programme at Imagine! Belfast

Last month 50:50 NI concluded their ‘So you want to be a councillor?’ training programme that worked to give women the skills, knowledge and experience they need to run for elected office in Northern Ireland. With the training complete, Aoife Clements and the team are now focusing on running a small campaign around the local elections in Northern Ireland.

Talk Shop run MozFest sessions, submit proposal to Wellcome Trust

As part of their work experimenting and finding the path forward to plug the ‘deliberation gap’, Talk Shop have put in a proposal to the Wellcome Trust through their recent call for proposals on creative approaches to policy making. Perry and the team were also on hand last month at Mozilla Festival running one of their Win-Win Workout sessions.

Newspeak House opens applications for their annual residency programme

Newspeak House, the London College of Political Technology, hosts an annual residential programme providing a valuable opportunity to engage with civic communities of practice and expert practitioners in senior positions across UK institutions. Applications are now open for their 2023–2024 cohort.

I Have A Voice Youth Ambassador Scheme in full flow

Elisha Holt, Community Development at I Have A Voice, and the team, are currently running multiple campaigns on a range of issues alongside their youth ambassadors, from political education to fast fashion to voter registration drives. They’re also working with the NHS Confederation on sourcing interns for the Confederation’s paid placements over the summer.

Institute for Government explore how to increase public engagement with constitutional issues

On the 17th of April, Institute for Government will host a panel discussion to explore the public understanding and interest in constitutional issues, with a particular focus on how to increase engagement on constitutional issues to empower citizens to become more active in this area.

Elections

Just 50,000 eligible voters have registered for a Voter Authority Certificate
According to the latest figures from the Democracy Defence Coalition, according to Shaun Roberts, Head of Campaigns and Digital at Unlock Democracy, just 50,000 people have registered for voter ID, leaving as many as 2,000,000 voters bereft of a means to vote in upcoming elections. Recent campaigning efforts by the Coalition saw voter ID feature on TV show Good Morning Britain and in local press. View the latest voter ID application data on the GOV.UK portal.

Have you got a story or news related to voter ID? Byline Times want to know

Byline Times have been covering voter ID closely over the past months, contact Josiah Mortimer via josiah@bylinetimes.com for anything and everything voter ID related.

New look polling cards drop through letterboxes nationwide

In the last week or so, polling cards have been posted to those eligible to vote in the upcoming local elections. Notably, this year’s polling cards feature a new design including repeated reminders and space given over to the requirements for voter ID in this May’s elections.

Nominations for English local elections close, help Democracy Club sort the data!

Nominations for elections closed yesterday at 4pm in England, after which time Statement of Persons Nominated (SoPN) began to be published. Northern Irish nominations close on 24th April, with the data released shortly afterwards. As usual, Democracy Club will collect this candidate data for publication on WhoCanIVoteFor.co.uk — they’re always looking for volunteers to help crowdsource, would you like to know more?

Democracy Classroom’s #ElectionCountdown in full swing

Hattie Andrews and the team at Democracy Classroom have been working with schools and youth groups to engage young people ahead of the local elections. As part of #ElectionCountdown, Democracy Classroom produces an excellent weekly campaign newsletter with a round up of resources and articles for the local elections — sign up here.

Democracy Classroom hosting General Election Resources Day on 12th June

To support the creation of learning resources, Democracy Classroom is hosting a one-day in-person meetup for democracy organisations looking to develop learning resources for the General Election. Please contact Hattie via hattie@thepoliticsproject.org.uk if you would like to attend online or in-person, or learn more.

Welsh Government consulting on new local STV rules — closes 7th April

The Senedd legislated to allow local authorities in Wales to choose their electoral system, between First Past the Post (FPTP) or Single Transferable Vote (STV). FPTP is currently in use for all 22 principal council elections and local authorities in Wales. The consultation seeks views on draft rules for the conduct of these new processes using STV, should local authorities opt to switch to the proportional method. View the consultation.

Shout Out UK conclude their London voter ID engagement campaign

Shout Out UK have been working closely with the Greater London Assembly since January through to the end of March, supported by a pan-London coalition of some 200 civil society and democracy organisations and councils, who have been sharing SOUK’s resources online — would you like to know more?

Labour Party’s blocks Jeremy Corbyn standing as Labour MP, sparks questions about democracy within the party

The Labour Party’s National Executive Committee has voted to block Jeremy Corbyn MP from standing as a candidate in the next general election. In response to the news activists, politicians and senior party figures raised questions around whether these actions set a precedent for the party to interfere with the democratic process of selecting candidates in the future.

Save the Children continue preparing Parallel Election for the General Election

Aiming to get greater input from the wider civic education community on the role of young people and youth organisations, Save the Children have held four thematic meetings on the Parallel Elections project in recent weeks. The UK wide youth Parallel Election is being planned for the General Election based on a similar Norwegian campaign run in 2021 Barnas Valg involving child-friendly hustings and media partners working together to make a splash pre-election results night.

Senior Labour figures cast doubts on reliability of post-election voter ID data

Alex Norris MP, Labour’s Shadow Levelling Up Secretary, has questioned the reliability of government data on non-eligible voters at the upcoming local elections. Current plans would see election officials stationed at the doors of polling stations to check if voters have the correct ID. However, those turned away at the door will not be logged as having been refused a ballot on the grounds of a lack of ID and will only be logged if they make it to the main desk and are refused there. Norris said in parliament on March 27th, he thought the scheme was “totally daft and will, of course, completely skew the data for the independent review.”

Security staff could be deployed at polling stations in Newcastle

Bouncers could be sent to ‘hotspot’ polling stations across Newcastle due to fears from local councillors that arguments could break out over the ability of voters to cast their vote. Initial estimates last year suggested that approximately 3,900 voters in Newcastle would not have an appropriate form of ID to present on polling day, but it was later said that the true figure could be double or even triple that amount.

Democratic Reform & Innovation

Sort the System mass lobby for proportional representation, May 24th

Make Votes Matter’s Sort the System rally on the 24th May will see large numbers from across the UK descend on Westminster with a message of immediate electoral reform — Find out more now.

People’s Plan for Nature launched after the first UK-wide citizens’ assembly on nature

The People’s Plan for Nature was launched in March setting out proposals for how the UK can protect and restore nature. The plan was drawn up following a two-stage process which included citizens from across the UK. The first stage was a ‘National Conversation’, in which 30,000 members of the public submitted their thoughts on nature and why we should value it. This subsequently informed a national citizen’s assembly made up of 100 members of the public who came together to create the People’s Plan itself which set out a manifesto for why and how we should protect nature. This landmark project was supported and delivered by Involve alongside a range of partners including RSPB, WWF-UK, National Trust, 89Up, New Citizenship Project and Sortition Foundation.

Democracy Network submit proposals to Labour Party’s National Policy Forum

The UK Democracy Network has submitted proposals calling on the Labour Party to undertake various democratic reforms. The reforms were signed by twenty-one democracy organisations and included calls for the Party to adopt proportional representation, devolve more power to communities, and break up media giants, amongst others.

Commission on Political Power sets out options for House of Lords reform

The new paper Creation of a Senate from the Commission on Political Power sets out a range of options for House of Lords reform, eschewing directly elected politicians. Frances Crook, Co-Convenor of the Commission, makes the point that direct elections will not necessarily provide improved democracy and that having more professional politicians may not enhance public confidence in the system — read the new report now.

Public dialogue on sentencing policy tests new online methods

A public dialogue on sentencing policy is exploring innovative ways of engaging people online. The project, supported by UKRI and the Royal Society of the Arts, is a partnership between Involve, the University of Southampton and Nethood, and aims to challenge the boundaries of conversations between the public, researchers and policymakers. Stay tuned for more on this.

Graham Smith preparing state of the art report on climate assemblies

Graham Smith, Director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy at the University of Westminster, is leading a Knowledge Network on Climate Assembly (KNOCA) workshop on a ‘playbook for climate NGOs’ on how to engage with climate assemblies, with the recording and slides available on the KNOCA site shortly.

Constitutional turbulence calms under Sunak, according to Constitution Unit

A new blog from The Constitution Unit takes a closer look at the constitutional climate around Rishi Sunak’s government. In the article, Meg Russell and Alan Renwick suggest that Sunak’s premiership has been marked by a decline in constitutional turbulence compared to the recent past.

Fourth report of the United Kingdom Constitution Monitoring Group is published

The United Kingdom Constitution Monitoring Group (UKCMG) released its biannual report on the 23rd of March, warning that 2022 exposed a series of weaknesses in the UK constitution and the devolved systems of government. They also concluded that some UK ministers had exploited and aggravated these tensions highlighting that the constitutional abuses witnessed under Johnson were simply the beginning of a widening trend.

mySocietys asks, what if you could reshape democracy for the better — and you had 20 years to do so?

On 24th May at the Sheffield Festival of Debate (online and in-person) mySociety will be asking the question to an assembled panel and audience, inviting them to contribute their ideas to mapping the journey to democracy in 2043. RSVP now. But that’s not all — mySociety are busily preparing their big 20th anniversary event later this year, more on this soon.

Potsdam researchers study effectiveness of three different deliberative participation formats

Researchers from the Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) in Potsdam undertook an analysis of three different deliberative participation formats around the same topic, with three-separate participant groups receiving the same briefing, working materials and tasks, but facilitated in three different ways — self-organised, a multi-method approach and the third through ‘dynamic facilitation’. Read more on the research here, thanks to Rebekah McCabe at Involve for highlighting!

Is support for liberal democracy in crisis? A new study explores the trends and causes

A peer-reviewed Is Support for Liberal Democracy in Crisis? has been published in journal Political Insight and looks at the reasons and supporting data for the global drop in support for liberal democracies. The study examines how elements like populism, inequality, immigration, and media influence people’s perceptions towards democracy by analysing data from surveys, experiments, and social media.

Devolved Democracy / Local Democracy

Humza Yousaf elected as SNP leader and Scottish First Minister

A total of 72,000 members were able to cast ballots in the SNP election, which was held both online and by mail. The winner, Humza Yousaf MSP, garnered 52% of the vote, with Kate Forbes MSP gaining 48%. Pro-independence Yousaf was widely considered the continuity candidate in the leadership election and has been described as socially progressive and as a Sturgeon loyalist.

Former Chief Executive of the SNP arrested ‘as a suspect’ in SNP funding probe

Former Chief Executive of the Scottish National Party, Peter Murrell, has been arrested by Police Scotland ‘as a suspect’ as part of an ongoing inquiry into the fundraising and finances of the SNP. As husband to the former SNP party leader Nicola Sturgeon, the police’s actions are thought to include the search of their family home.

Men dominate 95% of local authorities in Britain, Democracy Club & Fawcett Society data shows

The analysis conducted by the Fawcett Society and Democracy Club reports that over 95% of local authorities are dominated by men, while only a third of local councillors are women and only 18 out of 382 councils have minimum gender representation parity. The data also shows that at a regional level, no council has gender parity and the proportion of women in councils has only grown by 2% since 2018. Fawcett Society partially attributes these low figures to sexism and harassment having been shown to be widespread throughout local councils, according to Fawcett research, as well as limited parental leave policies and support for those with caring responsibilities.

‘Trailblazer’ devolution deal signed with Great Manchester Combined Authority

A ‘Trailblazer’ devolution deal has been signed by the Great Manchester Combined Authority transferring more control and influence over local economic policy. The deal involves changes to the ‘single funding settlement’ which will see Greater Manchester receive more money in the future and provide Mayor Andy Burnham and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority with more autonomy in how it’s spent. For Burnham’s reaction to the deal, hear him in discussion with Centre for Cities on the 12th of April. And finally, for a deeper dive into devolution frameworks, check out this report from The Northern Powerhouse Partnership which looks at how to empower local governments across the North of England through a devolution of various elements of tax policy.

Integrity & Transparency

Transparency International report lays bare revolving door between public and private office

Transparency International’s new report Managing revolving door risks in Westminster attracted front page attention last week with findings of over 170 ex-ministers and officials since 2017 taking jobs related to their old policy briefs. The comprehensive analysis sets out a range of policy recommendations to strengthen the scope of existing rules aimed at reducing the risk of corruption and damage to public confidence in government brought about by these behaviours, as well as suggestions to improve the oversight and enforcement of the revolving door — read the report.

2022 was damaging for standards in public debate, according to Full Fact report

The new report entitled Informed citizens: Addressing bad information in a healthy democracy from political fact-checkers, Full Fact, raises concerns over voters’ access to good, reliable information last year. The report sets out 12 recommendations for politicians, media, and other organisations in public life to improve public trust, particularly around the issue of voting. These include calls for political parties to end ‘bullshit manifestos’ before the next general election and a new law to prevent deceptive campaign practices.

First ever Whistleblowing Awareness Week held in parliament

WhilsteblowersUK held the first ever Whistleblowing Awareness Week in Parliament last month to raise awareness of the challenges faced by those who decide to speak out. They are pushing for new legislation to help protect individuals through the Protection for Whilsteblowers Bill. The bill intends to establish an Office of the Whistleblower to protect whistleblowers and aims to make it easier for people who can’t afford huge legal bills to speak out. The bill had its second reading in the Lords in December.

Top UK lawyers refuse to prosecute climate activists

120 top UK lawyers have signed a ‘Declaration of Conscience’ refusing to act in the interests of fossil fuel groups or prosecute climate activists for protesting against inaction on the climate crisis. The group recognise that continued fossil fuel development represents a ‘serious risk to the rule of law’, and called on fellow lawyers and the government to address the crisis. It is the first time in legal history that a collection of lawyers have engaged in a collective act of civil disobedience.

One-in-ten voters think Boris Johnson told the truth over partygate

Polling for the Byline Times has revealed that just one in ten voters think Johnson told the truth over Partygate and whether or not he broke lockdown regulations. Even Conservative voters have lost faith in the ex-Prime Minister with just 28% saying they thought he told the truth about the scandal. The poll suggests the routes back into public life for Johnson are becoming increasingly narrowed.

Funding Democracy

Grants of up to £15,000 available for projects to support young people as active and engaged citizens

The new funding from the Institute for Community Studies (ICS) aims to support young people develop civic knowledge, skills, attitudes, behaviours and experiences — exploring how ‘policy scaffolding’ could better support them to become active citizens. Deadline is 11th April to apply — see more. ICS have also opened a Call for Evidence on their two-year Civic Journey programme exploring the ways in which young people get involved in civic life.

Democracy & Media

Media Reform Coalition launch new membership offering

Deborah Grayson, Campaign Coordinator at the Media Reform Coalition, and their wider team, have developed a new membership structure for the community of passionate media activists and reformers working to build a healthier media system that serves the public interest in the UK. Membership is free, though donations to support their core activities are welcome. Join the Media Reform Coalition now.

Voice of the Listener and Viewer Spring Conference, 11th May

Their annual Spring Conference will be held on Thursday 11th May at the Geological Society in Piccadilly Central London. The event will include keynote speeches from Chair of the Lords Communications and Digital Committee, Rt Hon Baroness Stowell of Beeston MBE, and former Director General of the BBC, Lord Hall, CBE. Find out more on the Voice of the Listener and Viewer’s website.

Care about democracy? Worry about Twitter, says Joe Mitchell

Joe Mitchell, Programme Manager at Public Interest News Foundation argues that those that care about democracy should consider moving to decentralised platform Mastodon, highlighting social.coop, a democratically run cooperative instance of Mastodon as an ideal place to connect. Open Rights Group have even produced this video tutorial to how you might set up on Mastodon, check it out. (Democracy Club have set up their own Mastodon in the other place too — connect with them here)

Surge in voters say BBC has a pro-government bias

New polling by Omnisis on behalf of the Byline Times found 41% of the public now think the BBC has a pro-government bias compared to 31% who said it was impartial. This figure has increased from 25% since the start of March, before the Lineker row. Asked who they trust the most to tell the truth out of Lineker, the BBC’s management, or the government, 39% picked Lineker, with just 11% picking the BBC’s management and 10% picking the UK government.

Independent Community News Network partners with Google to enhance independent community journalism

A new partnership through the Independent Community News Network’s (ICNN) public interest news gateway, Ping News, will see Google partner with the independent news community. So far, forty-five independent news titles have signed up to the Google News Showcase allowing them to better connect with audiences. ICNN have said the financial support provided by Google will help build much-needed sustainability within the sector and will give greater exposure to local and hyperlocal titles.

Impress launch consultation to shape the future of independent media regulation

Impress has launched a six-week public consultation on its regulatory scheme and is looking for thoughts on a number of proposed changes. After a lengthy review process, Impress put forward a number of proposed changes, including to their membership eligibility criteria, transparency agreements and the investigations process. Respond to the consultation for a chance to shape the strategy of the UK’s only independent press regulator.

Public Interest News Foundation is looking for a Network Manager

Public Interest News Foundation (PINF) are hiring a Network Manager to help them maintain, grow and mobilise their network of news providers and support organisations across the sector. If you’re interested in supporting independent news providers and have a background in organising and capacity-building, apply before April 14th.

And Finally…

Extinction Rebellion’s The Big One four day action starts 24th April

With more than 70 organisations coming together to support the action, including Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, PCS Union, to name a few, Extinction Rebellion’s next action kicks off at the end of this month, find out more. A core demand of the action includes a citizens’ assembly on the climate and ecological emergency.

The UK Democracy Network maintains a full database of events from across the democracy sector.

View the database here — Have we missed something? Add it here!

View the full database of upcoming job listings here — have we missed any? Add them via this form.

Apply ASAP

  • Apply by 7th April: Consultant at Cast from Clay (£30–35k)

Jobs with upcoming deadlines

Unsalaried job listings #ShowTheSalary

We’ve been experimenting with the format of this email and the accompanying meetup, if you have any feedback we’d be glad to hear it.

If you can’t make our monthly meetup, you can always drop in to the check-in document of the current month and add to it by going to our website.

See you next time, add to your calendar

James, Max, Louise and the UK Democracy Network team