UK Democracy Bulletin, April 2025

Issue #70 — April 2025

Monthly news, jobs, grants and gossip from across the democracy sector, brought to you by James Moulding 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: hello@democracynetwork.org.uk

How you can get involved right now - Do these things 👇

1. Join the Democracy Network as a member
2. Introduce yourself on the Democracy Network WhatsApp Community
3. Sign up to upcoming Democracy Network events
4. See the latest democracy jobs & add your own
5. Check available democracy funding
6. Explore the Democracy Map
7. Post to the UK Democracy Forum Mailing List

Highlights

• Supreme Court rules legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex
• UK Government announce they will not be scrapping Voter ID
• Hope Not Hate exposing the far-right documentary nominated for BAFTA Award
• NetPol major report reveals severe protest crackdown in England & Wales
• Democrafest festival release early bird tickets
• Welsh Government launch 2025–26 Democracy Engagement Grant
• LGIU Awards nominate a councillor today

#DemocracyJobs

Featured Job Listings across the Democracy Sector. View the full database of upcoming job listings here — have we missed any? Add them via this form.

Rolling deadlines

• Rolling deadline: Advisory Board at The Traveller Movement (voluntary)
• Multiple roles: Association of Democratic Services Officers

Featured upcoming roles

• Apply by 30th April: Communications Manager at Friends Provident Foundation (£42,500)
• Apply by 1st May: Welsh Campaigns Organiser at Hope Not Hate (£33–35,000)
• Apply by 2nd May: Operations and Project Management Consultant at Perspectiva (Salary not stated)
• Apply by 2nd May: Associate Director of Editorial and Publishing at Perspectiva (£50,000)
• Apply by 7th May: Governance Support Officer at The European Movement (£30,000)
• Apply by 7th May: Grants Manager at Friends Provident Foundation (£42,500)
• Apply by 11th May: Social Media Manager at Best for Britain (£35–40,000)
• Apply by 15th May: Digital Service Manager at mySociety (£45–55,000)
• Apply by 15th May: People and Culture Lead at Involve (£45,655 pro rata)
• Apply by 18th May: Lead Campaigner at We Own It (£38,820)

Funding Democracy

Welsh Government extends application deadlines for Democratic Engagement Grant

The Welsh Government will launch its Democratic Engagement Grant for a further three years with £400,000 being available to support projects in the 2025–26 financial year, through to the end of 2027–28. The grant aims to support local authorities, third sector, and not-for-profit organisations working in Wales to pursue an innovative approach to engaging those typically under-represented in our democracy. This includes but is not limited to:

• young people,
• disabled people,
• people from lower socio-economic backgrounds or those who are long-term unemployed,
• non-UK nationals,
• people from minority-ethnic groups.

The grant will help funded organisations ensure as many people as possible are engaged, motivated, and empowered to take part in democracy, giving them the tools to make their voice heard and to impact positively on the Wales around them.

The application window for applications over £1000 is open now and has been extended to a new deadline of 23rd May. Applications for under £1000 can be submitted at any time.

For further information please contact Etholiadau.Elections@gov.wales

National Endowment for Democracy welcomes first step towards restoring funding

On March 10th, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) regained access to congressionally appropriated funds that had been unavailable since late January. The development came after NED’s lawsuit, which they launched soon after they were denied access to $167 million and an additional $72 million already appropriated by Congress.

Aid Transparency Index is put on hold due to lack of funding

Publish What You Fund says they will not be running the Aid Transparency Index in 2026 due to a lack of funding, with all future editions on hold until funding can be secured. The Index has provided an independent assessment and ranking of the transparency of the world’s largest aid agencies since 2012.

Elections Latest

More than 8,619 candidates standing across 1,497 council wards on 1st May, Democracy Club reports

Following on from this year’s massive volunteer SOPN Day effort — in their latest candidate blog, Peter Keeling from Democracy Club, broke down the numbers and found that, for the first time in modern election history, a party other than Labour, the Lib Dems or the Conservatives are standing candidates in the most seats. Reform is standing 1,705 candidates, compared to the Tories’ 1,687 and Labour’s 1,633 candidates.

Local Government Association share their seven principles for safer canvassing

The guidance by the Local Government Association (LGA) sets out practical hints for canvassers during the pre-election period and is openly available on the LGA website. In addition, they have a range of other advice for councillors and councils on preventing and handling abuse and intimidation available through the LGA Civility in Public Life Hub — Would you like to know more?

Who Targets Me track local election social media spend

Who Targets Me track social media political advertising spend across multiple countries, including the UK — where it all began back in 2017. See the latest trends in social spend for UK political parties: Reform spent big earlier in the local election cycle and still lead on overall spend, but the race has now narrowed, with ‘Others’ (AKA the Electoral Commission’s adverts) pulling ahead. This data, and monitoring of political advertising via Who Targets Me, is only made possible through their Browser Extension — if you haven’t already, install it today.

Elect Her signal depressing stats on female representation, yet again

This year’s local election numbers are in, with men making up 67% of candidates, that’s even less women than last time. Annabel Mullin at Elect Her says. The Green Party is ‘winning’ though, fielding just 56% men, whilst Reform are fielding 78% men — these figures show just how important the work of Elect Her and similar organisations are right now.

Elect Her are working with Operation Black Vote, 50:50 Parliament, Migrant Democracy Project, The Disability Policy Centre & The Politics Project to support the Local Government Association’s ‘Be a Councillor’ campaign this year. Together they are running 12 events to help prospective candidates develop the skills needed to become a councillor — Find out more, and don’t miss their other critical work on peer support circles!

Coventry Youth Activists working to get young Disabled people vote-ready

Coventry Youth Activists (CYA), a disability-led youth group, have launched a free campaign pack to help young Disabled people, organisations, and their supporters get ready for the upcoming local elections. The campaign, based on lived experiences of barriers like Voter ID confusion and inaccessible polling stations, highlights CYAs unique role as one of the few disability-led, youth-driven initiatives in the UK. Take their Voter Readiness Quiz and amplify their important work on social media now. Reach out to Melissa Smith for more information.

Bristol voters confused and apathetic towards mayoral election, reports Bristol Cable

Bristol Cable’s Isaac Kneebone-Hopkins reports on the state of the mayoral election for the West of England Combined Authority, suggesting that the election is marked by public confusion, a chaotic political environment and a lack of clarity about the political impact of their choices, underlined by the new First Past the Post voting system making the outcome highly unpredictable.

North Warks Council providing information sessions for candidates

Martyn Harris, Elections and Democratic Services Manager at Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, has been busily organising the local elections in Warwickshire (the ones that are going ahead anyway) — his last set of elections before moving to take up a new post at the Association of Electoral Administrators, congratulations Martyn!

First Past the Post changes mean new Mayors can sneak in on low support, say Electoral Reform Society

As Britain’s voters grapple with changed voting systems this election, Electoral Reform Society highlights the changes under the Elections Act 2022 and shifting the mayoral elections from Supplementary Vote to First Past the Post, and the impacts this will have on the upcoming local elections this week. Experts Professor Rob Ford and Peter Kellner note that it is highly likely mayors will be elected with less public backing than ever before, lower even than 30% they suggest.

Democracy Volunteers launch new Observations Podcast

Democracy Volunteers (DV) new Observations Podcast brings you insightful coverage of elections — past, present, local, national, and international. The podcast explores the stories behind the ballots, speaking with candidates, campaigners, organisers and winners to uncover the narratives you won’t hear anywhere else. Tune in for a deeper look at the elections that shape our world. Check it out now on Spotify, Apple and YouTube)

Democracy Sector

UK Supreme Court rules legal definition of a women is based on biological sex

On 15th April, the UK Supreme Court unanimously ruled that a woman is defined by biological sex under equalities law. The court sided with anti-trans campaign group For Women Scotland, which brought a case against the Scottish government arguing that sex-based protections should only apply to people that are assigned female at birth.

Stonewall responded to the ruling, sharing their ‘deep concern at the widespread implications’ of the ruling. Trans cyclist Emily Bridges says the ruling has ‘painted a target’ on the back of trans people. Whilst the law still gives protection against discrimination to transgender people, trans support groups have highlighted changes in the wake of the ruling that mean that trans people may now be prevented from accessing crisis services, exacerbating an already bad situation with transphobic hate crimes rising in recent years. Meanwhile, tens of thousands turned out to protest against the ruling in towns and cities across the UK on Saturday 19 April, in demonstrations quickly organised by a coalition of 24 organisations. Good Law Project have launched a new crowdfunder to challenge the ruling.

Keseb publish new primer on building pro-democracy civil society coalitions

Capturing lessons from interviews with builders and participants of pro-democracy civil society coalitions in Australia, Brazil, France, the Philippines, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as from the Keseb team’s coalition experiences, the Primer aims to provide actionable insights and a provocation for civil society. It is especially intended for those who are interested in launching, supporting or participating in a coalition to achieve pro-democracy goals. Read it here and find out more about Keseb.

Center for Countering Digital Hate launches new Digital & Information Resilience Training

Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) have launched a new, free, interactive session designed to help individuals and organisations navigate online hate and disinformation. The new Digital & Information Resilience Training helps participants understand these dynamics and develop strategies to counter online attacks effectively. To find out more contact Risa and arrange a session.

London Movement Builders Meetup, coming May 8th

Civic Power Fund, Lush, New Economics Foundation and Common Knowledge are hosting a series of new Movement Builders Meetups. They held their first event in Manchester last week, and are hosting their next in London on May 8th — bringing together London’s infrastructure and movement building organisations to support the work of grassroots organisers and activists. The events are invite only.

mySociety are hiring a Digital Service Manager

Are you excited by pro-democracy tech? Have you got what it takes to fulfil this specialised role for mySociety? The deadline for the new Digital Service Manager role is 15th May — Would you like to know more?

Assemble launch ‘House of the People’ project creating permanent citizens’ assembly

Following a recent protest in the House of Lords demanding a citizen-led upper chamber, the ‘House of the People’ project was launched in March. This new project, pioneered by Assemble, will establish a permanent citizens’ assembly which will have its first sitting in July. The aim is to create a ‘parallel Parliament’ which comes together to debate the issues facing the UK, culminating in the creation of a ‘People’s Charter’ — Find out more..

Democrafest — new festival celebrating civic participation, early bird ticket release

On 30th August in Hertfordshire, Democrafest will be a new festival of music and debate, welcoming journalists, authors, organisers and influencers to educate and inspire people to feel empowered by democracy — Book your tickets now.

Involve are hiring for a new HR lead

The new Involve People and Culture Lead role will support Involve as the team continues to grow, developing new policies and supporting the organisation to develop an inclusive work environment. Find out more about the role here.

Just Stop Oil are ‘hanging up the high vis’

After 3 years, 3,300 arrests and 180 imprisonments, Just Stop Oil says they are hanging up the high vis at the end of the month. With an end to all new oil and gas now government policy, the campaign group says they have achieved the goal they originally set out to do. Although they will no longer be protesting on the streets, the group says they will remain vocal in the courts to speak out for those detained.

Newspeak House are looking for new applicants

Newspeak House — The London College of Political Technology is currently on the lookout for new applicants for next year’s 2025/2026 intake starting this September. Students will spend a year immersed in communities of practice and undertake the one-year course Introduction to Political Technology course, alongside a range of other activities. Find out more here, residential and non-residential places available. In the past year Newspeak House developed the Election Tech Handbook and the the MP Office Manual and is a thriving hub for political technology hosting hundreds of events every year.

The Constitution Unit publish latest round up of UK constitutional developments

The Constitution Unit has published Monitor 89 — the latest news about constitutional change in the UK. This quarter’s edition focuses on the progress of the bill to scrap hereditary peers, electoral reform, the government’s white paper on English devolution, and much more.

Novara Media series explores the impact of prison time on activists

Committed, a new podcast series by Novara Media, explores the stories of five young people currently locked up as political prisoners in Britain as part of recent crackdowns over the past several years on climate protest and direct action movements such as Just Stop Oil and Palestine Action.

Run for Jo — 22 June 2025

The Run for Jo is part of the Great Get Together weekend and is all about bringing people together and remembering the life of the Batley & Spen MP who was murdered by a far-right extremist in 2016 in the lead up to the EU Referendum. This year’s event falls on 22 June, which would have been Jo’s 51st birthday. Get involved here.

Active Inquiry running two day legislative theatre in Edinburgh

The event run by Active Inquiry, last weekend, explored the barriers people face when accessing Historic Environment Scotland’s sites — find out more.

Unlock Democracy supporters now top 100,000

Tom Brake and the team at Unlock Democracy are celebrating topping 100,000 supporters — growing from 20,000 over the past four years. Unlock have led on a range of campaigns in recent years, from pushing for overseas constituencies to addressing foreign funding in politics — last month they convened dozens of democracy campaign organisations in Windsor to align and prioritise around a range of key policy areas.

The Festival of Debate is back in April and May

The largest annual UK politics festival — the Festival of Debate — is back this year, with a huge array of events, talks and community events across Sheffield in April & May. Don’t miss it — get your tickets now!

Leftwing activists less likely to work with political rivals than other groups, study finds

The new study by More in Common found that the 8–10% of the UK population they class as ‘progressive activists’ both hold very different views to the rest of the UK — and critically — are more likely to disagree, criticise and less likely to work with opposing political blocs. Read the new report here.

Greenpeace working with The Climate Coalition for Mass Lobby of Parliament

Building on last year’s Project Climate Vote, Greenpeace are organising a Mass Lobby of Parliament.

Devolved & Local Democracy

Senedd establishes Voter Information Platform

The Senedd has approved the creation of a new Welsh Voter Information Platform — a proposal which originates from the 2024 Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Act. The new platform will centralise information related to Welsh elections, breaking down barriers to voting by making it easier for voters to find information about upcoming elections, candidates and polling arrangements.

Senedd Explained launches

Maddy Dhesi and Gwion Rhisiart are launching a brand new project to break down Welsh news and politics into accessible bite size chunks, bringing Welsh news closer to anyone who wants it. Check out Senedd Explained now.

Citizen Network and Neighbourhood Democracy Movement growing democratic governance in Sheffield

Together, Citizen Network and Neighbourhood Democracy Movement (NDM) have been working to develop democratic governance in Sheffield, working with the council and local authorities to build a plan for 147 neighbourhoods across the city. To this end, Jason Leman of NDM has been preparing new DIY democracy materials — Would you like to know more?

Scottish Government hosts Democracy and Respect Summit

Transparency International’s Juliet Swann responded to the Summit publishing a new briefing on disinformation in Scotland and what needs to be done to tackle it. First Minister John Swinney said Scotland’s shared values were under ‘huge threat’ from disinformation at the Summit.

Nominate a councillor for the LGIU Awards

Celebrate our local democracy with the Local Government Information Unit Awards. The LGIU & CCLA Cllr Awards are the only national Awards to recognise and honour the hard work and dedication of councillors. Nominate a councillor today.

Electoral Reform host A Scottish Spring conference
The conference held last weekend saw contributions from Mark Drakeford, Former First Minister of Wales, Willie Sullivan, Senior Director of Electoral Reform Society Scotland, Esther Roberton, former Coordinator of the Scottish Constitutional Convention and many more. The event aimed to revamp the national conversation about the lessons of the last ten years and build ambition for Scotland’s democratic future.

Southport Community Independents Party is launched promising citizens’ assemblies to decide policy

Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn and Assemble were in Southport recently to launch a new local political party which will be putting up candidates and running assemblies to decide policy. The Southport Community Independents are hoping to improve bottom up decision making in the local community to give voters a greater stake in local democracy.

Democratic Reform & Innovation

Labour says it will not be scrapping Voter ID scheme

The government has said they will not be scrapping the Voter ID scheme despite pressure from democracy campaigners. Democracy minister Rushanara Ali said such a move ‘was not on the table’, and instead said the government is ‘looking to improve the system’.

Commission on Political Power prepares their final report

In January, the Commission on Political Power launched their final inquiry, this time into reform of the Cabinet. They held evidence sessions with Rt Hon Dominic Grieve KC and Rt Hon Robert Buckland KC; Lord Richard Wilson and Lord Robin Butler; and Rt Hon John McDonnell MP. They also received written submissions from Lord Alex Carlile KC and Lord Wilson of Dinton. You can find out more about the work of the Commission here. The report is being prepared for publication in the summer.

Don’t miss Republic Day 2025

May 10th from midday in Trafalgar Square Central London, Republic are hosting their second ever Republic Day, with live music, entertainment and rousing speeches to ‘bring to life a vision of a better, fairer, more democratic Britain’. Speakers include Baroness Natalie Bennett, former Green Party Leader, storyteller Kelechi Okafor, Rhodes Scholar Yasmin Poole and Norman Baker — author of And What Do You Do? What the royal family don’t want you to know, among others.

Constitution Unit report explores options for constitutional reform

A major new report from The Constitution Unit — The Constitutional Landscape: Options for Reform — provides a concise overview of the current constitutional framework and suggests avenues for reform in 31 areas. The areas of focus include those outlined by the Labour government as a target for reform over the course of the coming parliament.

Stop the Lies: How to restore trust in politics — upcoming Compassion in Politics event

Don’t miss Compassion in Politics upcoming event this Tuesday, in partnership with Reform Political Advertising — featuring speakers such as independent Australian MP Zali Steggall and Adam Price MS — Senedd Member who introduced the recent legislation to disqualify politicians who lie from office.

The public square must be protected from poor legislation, says Conservative Home

Tali Fraser, writing for Conservative Home, warns that small venues across the country could face £10,000 fines if they fail to produce paperwork for new anti-terror plans covering village halls and community centres. Over half (56%) of small venues say these requirements would be difficult to manage due to the heavy burden of time and effort. Conservative Home argues that such legislation threatens civic life, with two-thirds of community centres reporting the new rules would damage their ability to operate.

Decolonising deliberative democracy — new open access paper published

A new open access paper from Ricardo Fabrino Mendonça of Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, and Hans Asenbaum of the University of Canberra entitled ‘Decolonizing deliberative democracy’ argues that deliberative democracy practitioners must confront its colonial legacy. The article offers six actions to deconstruct this legacy and build a truly inclusive and emancipatory form of participatory democracy.

Institute for Government to host reflection on election and electoral reform, 19th May

The Institute for Government event on the 19th May will bring together journalists, campaigners, the Electoral Commission and others, to discuss proposed reforms from political finance to lowering the voting age — sign up for the event now, but don’t miss their event this week on Wednesday, with Michael Jary, the government’s former lead Non-Executive Director, setting out his views on Whitehall reform.

What’s to blame for democratic backsliding, the Journal of Democracy asks

In this month’s Journal of Democracy, leading scholars including Francis Fukuyama debate the root causes of democratic backsliding and what can be done to stop it. Check out the essays now, from why democracies must show they can deliver without sacrificing accountability, to shifting the debate on backsliding away from democracies as failing to deliver socioeconomic goods for citizens, and more about failing to constrain predatory political ambitions.

Applications are now open for the School for Everyday Democracy

Involve and Act Build Change are preparing for their second cohort of The School for Everyday Democracy — a new UK-wide programme to support people who want to create change where they live. They are keen to hear from those who face — or could face — multiple, intersecting barriers to making change. That could mean lacking time or access, juggling caring responsibilities, being underrepresented in decision-making spaces, or simply not feeling like ‘someone who does that sort of thing.’ Share the news with this toolkit — or find out more here.

TalkShop organise new Win Win Workout on Tackling Disinformation, 6th May

Perry Walker and the team at TalkShop are organising a new 2.5 hour interactive workshop deep diving into disinformation on Tuesday 6th May online — find out more information and register now.

Democratising the Media

Media Democracy Festival 2025 is here, 31st May in London

This year’s Media Reform Coalition annual festival is being held at the University of Westminster on 31st May, with keynotes including Green Party Deputy Leader Zack Polanski and journalist Sangita Myska. Each year the festival brings together activists, independent media organisations, researchers, policy makers and supporters of a more democratic media ecosystem in the UK. Register your ticket now.

How to regenerate local news across the UK — new report published

The Public Interest New Foundation has published a new report — Regenerating Local News in the UK — calling for urgent government action to save local news. The report calls for a Local News Stimulation Fund which will allocate £15m per year for the next 10 years in order to support local news outlets — alongside a host of other measures including tax incentives for the sector and increased regulation of Big Tech.

Suffrago recruiting Local Democracy Reports to rebuild local scrutiny

Last month Suffrago embedded their first ten Local Democracy Reporters across the UK, from Cornwall to Cambridge. These new journalists will be monitoring local stories and sitting in the back of those council planning meetings, paying attention when no one else will. Find out more about Suffrago and their mission to ‘build a new sort of democratic infrastructure’.

Newsmast looking new partners to help pilot their community-focused social media tool

Saskia Welch at Newsmast Foundation is seeking partners for their new community social media tool — to move away from Big Tech. Would you like to know more?

The reach of local media is on the rise, says Starmer

During an event at the end of March in Downing Street, Keir Starmer praised the vital role played by regional journalism in strengthening local democracy and suggested the reach of local outlets is on the rise. ‘The reach of local regional media is going up’, said the PM, ‘but the pressure is huge and the challenges coming up at the same time’. Starmer encouraged regional outlets to keep holding the government to account, but made no mention of support measures for the struggling sector.

Integrity & Transparency

Annual State of Protest report published by Network for Police Monitoring & Article 11 Trust

Published by Article 11 Trust and Network for Police Monitoring, the new Annual State of Protest report, THIS IS REPRESSION, reveals severe protest crackdown in England & Wales. The report states that aggressive police use of new anti-protest laws, coupled with a growing portrayal of protesters as alleged threats to democracy rather than a vital part of public participation, has now grown so routine and so severe that it now amounts to state repression — Download the report.

Police raid Friends Meeting House in London

On 27th March, London Metropolitan Police raided a London Quaker Meeting House, ‘kicking down the door’ and arrested six young people hosting a Youth Demand meeting over concerns for the climate and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Quakers in Britain strongly condemned the violation of their place of worship which, they say, is a direct result of new ‘stricter protest laws removing virtually all routes to challenge the status quo’, remarking that ‘a threshold has been crossed’ — in a later press statement Quakers in Britain called for civil liberties to be restored. ‘This kind of police repression is just part of life now’, said Youth Demand spokesperson Chiara Sarti, speaking to Middle East Eye.

Undercover: Exposing the Far Right nominated for BAFTA Best Single Documentary Award

Undercover: Exposing the Far Right follows the team at Hope Not Hate and their secret cameras to reveal the tactics of the modern far-right. In the wake of the 2024 riots, the film shows how vulnerable communities are targeted, racist ideas mainstreamed and money sought from powerful elites. Watch now on Channel 4.

Charities and consumer groups marginalised by private sector engagement with ministers, says new report

A new report from Spotlight on Corruption — Levelling the Playing Field — looks at who has been getting access to ministers, senior officials and special advisers in six of the UK’s government departments principally responsible for economic decision-making. The research finds that business and commercial stakeholders outnumber charity and consumer group stakeholders in meetings by a factor of 23 to 1. The report also finds ‘considerable crossover’ between firms providing corporate hospitality and those getting meetings.

Full Fact call for greater transparency in policy making to rebuild public trust in politics

Full Fact launched their manifesto tracking tool four months ago to monitor government progress on their election pledges. However they have found some pledges are ambiguous and difficult to measure — e.g. a promise to recruit ‘6,500 new expert teachers in key subjects’. Full Fact is calling for greater transparency in policy making to ensure manifesto pledges are both comprehensible and measurable so as to avoid further entrenching distrust in our political system.

Unlock Democracy urge the government to ban MPs from accepting gifts

Following the recent scandals over MPs accepting freebies from private companies — this time involving the Chancellor accepting free gig tickets — Unlock Democracy has written to the government urging them to end this practice. Every scandal, they say, creates a distraction from the proper issues of the day and further damages the increasingly fragile relationship with the electorate.

Pro-democracy tech

Join mySociety’s for TICTeC in Belgium this June

The world’s leading summit on pro-democracy technology, TICTeC is a unique conference bringing together a mix of tech practitioners, civil society leaders and researchers, to explore and showcase cutting-edge civic and political technology. Book your ticket now.

Devolved parliamentary registers of interest now on TheyWorkForYou — and mySociety now has a podcast!

As part of a major update last month, mySociety added devolved parliamentary registers to their already burgeoning suite of data. With this release they’ve shifted their focus away from Westminster, and are publishing the registers of interests for the Scottish Parliament, Senedd/Welsh Parliament, and Northern Ireland Assembly. This includes enhanced UK Parliamentary registers of donations and gifts.

That’s not all — did you know mySociety now has a podcast?

Open Council Network launch new service to transcribe and summarise council meetings

Toby Abel and the team at the Open Council Network are building a new national infrastructure to transform how the public understands local government — using AI to transcribe and summarise council meetings, and working with journalists and communities to publish clear, trusted updates. Contact Toby to find out more.

Explore the wealth of global civic tech resources via the Civic Tech Field Guide

Built and maintained by Matt Stempeck, the Civic Tech Field Guide is a crowdsourced, global collection of democracy tech, featuring more than 11,000 curated entries, 350+ open source projects, hundreds of jobs and curated civic tech events from across the globe. If you’re into democracy and technology, you need to check this out, right now — subscribe to their newsletter for all the latest.

Electoral Commission to bring Democracy Club’s polling station finder in-house

As part of their new 5-year corporate plan, the Electoral Commission (EC) will bring Democracy Club’s WhereDoIVote polling station finder tool in-house. Whilst the EC have financially supported Democracy Club for many years, Democracy Club have long argued that for true sustainability of this work, the tool should be delivered directly by the Electoral Commission.

Constitution Unit AI & Democracy webinar, May 15

The UCL Constitution Unit are hosting a new webinar on AI and democracy, and how it could transform our democratic system — featuring speakers from Harvard University, the Oxford Internet Institute and the Blavatnik School of Government.

MP Office Manual, in case you missed it!

Work4Mp highlighted the civic tech project MP Office Manual recently in one of their roundups — the project was developed by a large cross-party group of civic technologists based in Newspeak House aimed at ensuring MPs had well run offices contributing to a flourishing democracy in the UK. The Manual includes advice, tips and procedures gathered from in-depth interviews with current and former MPs, their staff and more than 30+ practitioners. Would you like to know more?

Should democracy organisations be rethinking their SEO?

Ed Saperia at Newspeak House asks, should democracy sector organisations consider the new frontier of AI-assisted search as an opportunity to increase the salience of their organisations and impact, via tools like Promptwatch?

And now for something completely different …

The Fiery Spirits, a new book exploring popular protest, parliament and the English Revolution

This month, author, historian, and activist John Rees published The Fiery Spirits, his second major study of the English Revolution. The book explores the pivotal role of both MPs and street protesters in the English Civil Wars — whose actions ultimately birthed the English Republic and ended absolute monarchy in Britain. It follows Rees’ earlier work, The Leveller Revolution, which traced the Leveller movement’s contributions to the 1640s Putney Debates and their early calls for universal suffrage, centuries ahead of its time.

See you next time,

James, Max and the Democracy Network team