UK Democracy Bulletin, February 2025

Issue #68 — Tuesday 18th February 2025

We apologise for the delay to this month’s Bulletin due to team illness.

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 👇

Highlights

Local Elections postponed in ¼ of 2025 contested seats
Naked Politics named one of 100 Changemakers of 2025
Citizens in Power Network launched
Conferences thrown into disarray following US grants freeze
Mayday Saxonvale approved in community land trust master plan first
Media Democracy Festival 2025 announced

#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: Researcher and Analyst for Disinformation Analysis at Debunk (€1200 — €1800)
Rolling deadline: Head of Charity at Changing Ideas (£75k pro rata)
Rolling deadline: Advisory Board at The Traveller Movement (voluntary)
Rolling deadline: Enterprise Customer Success Manager at Nationbuilder
Multiple roles: Association of Democratic Services Officers
Multiple roles: People’s Economy
Rolling deadline: Director of Advocacy and Communications at Involve (Up to £72,100)

Featured upcoming roles

Apply by 21st February: Community and Communications Officer at Campaign Lab (£30,000 — £35,000)
Apply by 24th February: Scotland Campaigner at Green New Deal Rising (£36,307-£39,510)
Apply by 24th February: Programme Support and Communications Officer at Sheila McKechnie Foundation (£26–28,000)
Apply by 24th February: Project Manager Grant Management System at Civic Power Fund (£350 p/d)
Apply by 26th February: Director of Communications at Unison (£88,000 with £6,800 London weighting)
Apply by 28th February: Content Creator & Presenter at Democracy Volunteers (£15 p/h)

Funding Democracy

Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust publish latest grant awards

JRRT is funding a number of new projects to keep an eye on:

Black Equity Organisation — Black British Mandate Implementation (Phase II): £73k over one year for the implementation of the recently launched Black British Mandate (BBM) and also to secure the delivery of at least three of its policy demands set out in the mandate within the current parliamentary period.

UCL Constitution Unit — Mobilising for House of Commons reform and a restored culture of scrutiny in the 2024 parliament: £56k over one year to conduct work on House of Commons reform in the new parliament, focused on strengthening parliament and restoring standards of scrutiny and accountability.

Disability Policy Centre — Monitoring the number of Disabled MPs for the first time: £59k over one year to fund a research project to find out the exact number of disabled MPs there are in the current 2024–2029 Parliament and to understand accurately how representative this Parliament is, whilst researching further the barriers to disclosure for disabled MPs.

Labour for a New Democracy — Building pressure for Proportional Representation under a Labour government: £57k over one year to maintain and extend Labour movement demands for PR.

Operation Black Vote — Operation Black Vote 2025: £68k over one year to enhance their organisational capacity and deepen local engagement through the National Voter Registration Alliance.

Reporters Without Borders — Improve institutional responses to transnational repression: £38k over one year for a project aimed at improving the government’s response to transnational attacks on journalists living and working in the UK.

Rights & Security International — Challenging the ‘securitised’ policing of protest movements: £35k over one year to mount a campaign to challenge the ‘securitised’ policing of protest movements in Northern Ireland (NI), which is hindering movements for racial justice, reproductive rights and other rights-protecting causes.

Notwestminster 2025 (Photo Credit: Anthony’s Photos)

Democracy Sector

Join the Democracy Network Summit 2025 in Sheffield, February 28th

Next week, The Democracy Network is hosting our annual gathering in Sheffield. Join us for a day of connection, collaboration and inspiration at Sheffield Hallam University. Featuring keynote speaker journalist Michael Crick and with sessions spanning the diversity of the democracy sector, we’ve got a packed agenda for you — check out our schedule here. Book your ticket now!

Amna Ahmad to step down as Campaigns Lead at The Democracy Network

Since November 2022, Amna Ahmad has been leading on the Democracy Network’s campaign workstream. Amna is due to step down at the end of this month to start their new role as the Chief Executive at Inspiring Girls International. She wrote a short message she has asked to communicate to the Network:

I am leaving my role at Involve and the Democracy Network. It has been extraordinary to be so deeply involved with developing the DN, particularly engagement and collaboration around campaigns and advocacy work. As a sector, we have come a long way from the initial meetings about campaigns work when I started in November 2022 and it is a pleasure to see the collaborative work that is now thriving in different policy areas. I have learnt a huge amount from the dedicated and passionate people in the democracy sector, and at Involve, and for that, I am grateful.

Although I am sad to leave, I am excited to move to a new role supporting a charity mission I have always been passionate about as Chief Executive at Inspiring Girls International. This organisation connects women with girls, to inspire career choices.

I look forward to keeping in touch with all your news, the important work that is upcoming and plans for the Democracy Network.

Best wishes,

Amna

Notwestminster 2025 brings together local democracy champions from across the UK

This weekend’s vibrant Notwestminster hosted a diverse range of groups and communities working to build stronger local democracy. They heard from thriving democratic communities in Test Valley, Coalville CAN and Frome and the incredible impacts these initiatives have locally on the power of local people to transform their communities and places — and much more, including Democracy Club, The Community Councillor Collective, and a variety of examples of local government transformation.

New Migrant Democracy Project report maps unenfranchised residents

The new report What If Everyone Could Vote? from Migrant Democracy Project, funded by the UK Democracy Fund, highlights the extent of unenfranchisement of migrant residents in the UK, and explores the costs of extending the franchise as part of their wider campaign for Residence Based Voting Rights. Read the report now.

State of Hate: Hope not Hate to discuss extent of far-right activity in the UK

Hope not Hate is hosting a webinar on the 19th of March to discuss their latest findings on the state of far-right activity in the UK. The webinar will explore how public attitudes have shifted as a result of the August riots, how anti-migrant activity has changed in 2024 and whether the new Labour government has impacted changing political rhetoric, and much more. Sign up now..

APPG on Political and Media Literacy Launches in Parliament

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Political and Media Literacy was launched in December, combining the previous APPGs on Political Literacy and Media Literacy. Hosted by Shout Out UK (SOUK), the launch reception at the Houses of Parliament brought together figures from media, government, education, and academia.

NEON to host in-person social event on the rise of Reform and the far-right

On the 27th of February, the New Economy Organisers Network is hosting an in-person event where they’ll be joined by Hope not Hate and the journalist and historian Taj Ali to discuss the causes behind the far-right surge in popularity in the UK.

Naked Politics named as one of 100 Changemakers of 2025

Naked Politics has kicked off 2025 after being named one of The Big Issue’s 100 Changemakers of 2025. The list celebrates individuals and organisations making a significant impact on society, with Naked Politics being honoured for its innovative media and educational initiatives empowering young people. This recognition highlights their commitment to engaging youth in political discourse and civic education. Congrats Banseka!

Democracy Network training opportunity

The Democracy Network have teamed up with Titus Alexander and Happy, an innovative training provider, to offer an advanced apprenticeship in Leading Change for Democracy Network members. This provides intensive support for anyone developing a campaign or project at work over a year. It is funded through the Apprenticeship Levy, so is FREE for staff of large organisations and just 5% (£250-£450) for small organisations.

Find out more and learn some powerful strategies and & tactics at a free taster session at Happy on the 25th February, 1–3.30 pm.

For more details and book your place at the taster go to:
https://www.happy.co.uk/apprenticeships/leading-change-apprenticeship-programme-taster/

PACAC Select Committee receives flurry of democracy sector submissions

The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee’s Review of the 2024 General Election inquiry has received submissions from a range of democracy sector organisations, including submissions from the UK Democracy Fund, which can be found here.

Are you attending TICTeC 2025? Hold off booking transport and accomodation
mySociety have communicated to attendees of the annual civic tech conference to be held in Belgium, that one of their major donors, the US National Endowment for Democracy, has been affected by President Trump’s freeze on federal funding. TICTeC will go ahead, but might change format — if the funding situation is unlikely to change, they have said they will move to a different format, which may be entirely online.

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.

Association of Electoral Administrators Conference sees returning officers descend on Birmingham

Electoral administrators and Returning Officers gathered in Birmingham for the annual Association of Electoral Administrators Conference, where, amongst other things, The Politics Project and Purpose Union, spoke about the importance of engaging young people and auto-enrolment. See here for more information.

New Citizen Project to run training on how organisations can embed participation

The New Citizen Project is running a training programme to help organisations develop methods for increasing participation amongst key audiences — whether that’s citizens, supporters, communities or consumers. Participants will learn how to embrace the ‘Citizen Shift’ and will leave with innovative ways of generating bottom up engagement with their work.

People Powered cancel their 2025 conference following US Government cuts

People Powered’s upcoming conference in Nairobi has been cancelled and is opting for a virtual sessions instead, as they grapple with the funding impacts in relation to recent US Government budget cuts.

Care Full launching, March 26th

Ruth Hannan and Hannah Webster have launched Care Full, a new initiative promoting the importance of care in creating a sustainable and just economy. On Wednesday 26th March they will be hosting an event in London alongside Autonomy to launch Care Full into the world. Drop them an email if you are keen to attend the launch event.

Devolved & Local Democracy

Mayday Saxonvale approved!

Congratulations to the residents of Frome who won their five-year battle to create a community-led development in their town — the UK’s first ever community-led masterplan for development. The decision was made on January 23rd at an Extraordinary Meeting of the Somerset Council Executive. Afterwards, the Leader of the Council was heard saying, “I don’t think I’ve ever been cheered in a planning meeting.”

Government to postpone local elections in nine regions

Angela Rayner has delayed local elections in nine regions across England as the government develops their plans for devolution across the country. The one year delay was criticised by Conservative Party Shadow Minister Kevin Hollinrake however who said the ‘mass postponement’ was a ‘worrying day for democracy’. Democracy Club has run the numbers and says that the councils affected were due to elect 599 councillors, reducing the number up for election on 1 May by 26.6%. 1,657 council seats still remain up for grabs.

Nine things we learned from the English devolution white paper

Just before the Christmas break, Labour published the English Devolution White Paper detailing their plans to devolve power across the country. The Institute for Government has combed through the 118 page document and dug out nine key takeaways for how the government intends to usher in this new era of local power.

Civic Education & Young People

Politics in Action meets government leaders (Photo Credit: Politics in Action)

Politics in Action meets with UK Government leaders on Votes at 16 in Northern Ireland

Politics in Action supports a youth-led Votes at 16 campaign in Northern Ireland. On December 19th, members met with Hilary Benn MP, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, who reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to legislating for Votes at 16. He commended the group’s efforts and emphasised the importance of securing legislation in Westminster ahead of the 2027 local and Assembly elections.

Association for Citizenship Teaching open letter demands Government re-prioritise citizenship studies

The Association for Citizenship Teaching has coordinated an open letter to the Secretary of State calling for citizenship education to be prioritised in light of the government’s recent Curriculum and Assessment review. The letter has been signed by a range of democracy organisations, academics, MPs and Peers. Add your organisations’ name to the list.

Welcome To Your Vote Week, 10–16 March

The Electoral Commission’s Welcome To Your Vote Week is an annual event asking schools, colleges, youth groups and universities to celebrate democracy by delivering democratic education with their students and young people. Find out more and sign up to receive the resources here.

The UK Democracy Fund has published a report on introducing Votes at 16

Written by Dr Christine Huebner of the University of Sheffield and Dr Jan Eichorn of the University of Edinburgh for the UK Democracy Fund, the report aims to provide information on evidence and good practice on lowering the voting age.

Naked Politics offer free nationwide in-person school sessions on making change

Naked Politics is offering free in-person interactive sessions in schools to encourage young people to think about how they can create change in their communities beyond elections. Naked Politics is especially interested in catering to young people of colour, but welcomes all enquiries. If you are interested or have any questions about the sessions, contact Bella Frimpong via bella.frimpong@nakedpolitics.co.uk

The Politics Project offering Local Elections 2025 Training

The upcoming The Politics Project session offers an overview of the most up-to-date information on voting and elections, including strategies and ideas for engaging students in political discussions and an overview of the various resources and support available from across the Democracy Classroom Network to support learning and engagement with the local elections. Contact wendy@thepoliticsproject.org.uk for more information.

Wales Government Centre describe 2021 Senedd Election as ‘false start’ on Votes at 16

In a recent report analysing the 2021 Senedd Election, which was the inaugural election of lowering the voting age to 16 in Wales, the Wales Government Centre at Cardiff University described the election as a ‘false start’ with relatively low political engagement among 16 and 17 year olds at a level roughly comparable with over 55s. Read the report here.

Telegraph accuses UK Government of ‘trying to rig elections’ with Votes at 16

According to Telegraph journalists Ethan Croft and Ollie Corfe, the Labour Government is working to rig elections through the introduction of lowering the voting age. Read more (paywall).

Democratic Reform & Innovation

Cross-party MPs call for First Past The Post to be scrapped in House of Commons debate

More than twenty cross-party MPs have condemned Britain’s First Past the Post voting system during a debate in the House of Commons. The debate comes after a majority of MPs voted in favour of proportional representation for the first time ever in December following the first reading of a 10-minute Rule Bill. MPs urged the government to consider changing the UK voting system and asked that a National Commission on Electoral Reform be set up to help facilitate the process.

‘Citizens in Power’ Network is launched to improve citizen-led decision making

A new network has been launched to rethink and redesign the way that decisions are made in the cultural and creative sectors. The Citizens in Power Network, made up of 65 members, associates and experts, will run from 2025–27, bringing together key stakeholders to explore how citizen-led decision-making that reflects the diversity of communities can lead to better outcomes. The network will test different approaches to citizen participation centring on the principles of ‘authority giving’, ‘civic lottery’ and ‘deliberation’ — and will advocate for the take up of new models of democratic decision making.

IPPR report makes the case for modernising elections

With the background of the recently established parliamentary Modernisation Committee, IPPR have published a new report fresh for the new year. Modernising Elections: How to get voters back sets out a range of approaches for policy makers to consider and makes the case for reform.

Government to consider scrapping Voter ID laws

At the beginning of January, Angela Rayner hinted at plans that Labour may scrap the Voter ID laws brought in under the Conservative government. Rayner told a select committee hearing that the cases of electoral fraud in the UK are ‘very, very, very minor’ and said the government would ‘look at’ whether to scrap the requirements.

Government must modernise elections to prevent voter disengagement, says leading think tank

Just one in every two adults living in the country voted in the 2024 general election, with only three in five registered voters casting a ballot. A new report from Institute for Public Policy Research — Modernising Elections: How to get voters back — considers what can be done to address the UK’s woeful election turnout, putting forward three principles for electoral reform that could help tip the balance towards participation. These are: making voting easier, making voting more worthwhile, and creating a strong democratic culture of participation.

Report launch: Improving Welsh Democracy — Lessons from around the world

On the 4th of March, the Institute for Welsh Affairs will be launching their new report exploring the potential of democratic innovation to improve Welsh democracy. These innovations are taken from different contexts around the globe where governments have improved their national democracy through interventions boosting participation and citizen deliberation in decision-making.

Over 40,000 sign petition calling for proportional representation

Over 40,000 people have signed a petition calling on the UK government to hold a referendum on introducing proportional representation for elections. Reaching 100,000 signatures will force a parliamentary debate on the matter.

Upcoming Water Bill calls for Citizens’ Assembly to decide future of the water industry

Next month a bill on the future of the water industry will have its second reading in Parliament. The Water Bill, introduced by Clive Lewis MP with the support of Compass, has economic democracy at its heart, calling for a citizens’ assembly to decide the future ownership model for the industry.

How to improve parliamentary scrutiny of legislation: UCL Constitutional Unit event to explore

The Constitution Unit at the UCL is organising a panel event on the 24th of February to discuss how we can improve parliamentary scrutiny of legislation. With concerns growing in recent years that new laws are too often rushed and/or inadequate, this important seminar explores how we can reverse these trends to put scrutiny at the heart of our democracy.

Democratising the Media

Media Democracy Festival 2025, coming soon

This May, the Media Reform Coalition are hosting their next gathering, bringing together activists, independent media outlets, journalists, researchers and policymakers to debate how they can transform the media into a more independent, accountable and democratic system that serves the public interest. The event will feature contributions from broadcast journalist Sangita Myska, journalist Peter Oborne, Byline Times editor Hardeep Matharu, the Bristol Cable, We Are The Economy, Impress and many more.

Public Interest News Foundation launch annual survey of independent news providers

The annual Public Interest News Foundation survey tracks the number of indie news providers across the UK and provides a great insight into the health and sustainability of the sector. PINF want to hear from any independent news providers with a turnover of less than £2m, so do share the survey link if you know any relevant organisations.

Society of Editors to hold ‘Media Freedom Conference’ in March

On Tuesday 25 March 2025, The Society of Editors will host a conference on the theme ‘The Future of News’. Key discussions will include; the sustainability of the local and regional media, progress on restoring police and media relations, and relationships with tech platforms and AI companies. Leading editors and news executives from all sectors of the UK news industry will be there for this important discussion.

Want to stay more up to date with Independent News? New Bluesky starter pack is here to help

The Bristol Cable has put together a starter pack on BlueSky of independent and public interest news providers in the UK and Ireland. If you’re new to BlueSky, this is a great way to get started and follow some of the best independent news outlets around the UK!

Integrity & Transparency

Tony Blair Institute suggests popularity of the centre ground has dramatically declined

New analysis by the Tony Blair Institute has found that the popularity of traditional centre-left and centre-right parties across major democratic countries has fallen dramatically from 73% in 2000 to 51% today. The research, based on 12,000 voters globally, suggests that voters have abandoned the centre not because of ideological differences, but because their confidence in the integrity and competence of politicians from established centrist parties has plummeted, no longer seeking the Third Way.

Met Police are behind 95% of the usage of new protest restriction laws

New data from the Home Office shows that the Met Police were responsible for nearly all of the usage of the new controversial protest restriction laws. Of the 473 recorded uses, 448 were by Met Police officers, with 87.5% of those targeting environmental protesters. Netpol operates a protest solicitors list for anyone facing charges under these new laws.

Ending third-party fact checking for Meta platforms will have a ‘chilling effect’, says Full Fact

Meta, the owners of Facebook, Instagram and Threads, has announced an end to support for third-party fact checking in the United States. The move has been widely condemned by fact checking organisations including Full Fact, who has been part of the third-party checking initiative for six years and has checked 2,596 cases of potential misinformation. They criticised Meta for taking ‘a backward step that risks a chilling effect on the world’.

Labour is failing to uphold democratic freedom, according to Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch’s annual report on the state of human rights around the world has criticised the Labour Government for failing to roll back anti-democratic protest laws brought in by the previous Conservative government. Labour is ‘seriously undermining’ democratic rights by failing to do so, they say. The report also finds that across the globe, authoritarian leaders gained ground in the more than 70 elections that took place last year.

More than 40 UK leaders demand law against deliberate factual deception by politicians

Over 40 politicians, academics, journalists and civil society leaders have called for Westminster to follow Wales’s lead in legislating against deliberate factual deception by politicians. The move, say Compassion in Politics, who coordinated the letter, would be an important step towards addressing the declining rates of trust in politics and is something that carries significant public support.

Spread of misinformation linked to far-right, according to new study

Far right movements drive political misinformation, according to a major new study by Petter Törnberg and Juliana Chueri published in the The International Journal of Press/Politics. They analysed 32 million tweets from parliamentarians across 26 countries finding a strong correlation between misinformation, anti-democratic trends and far-right politics.

And now for something completely different

Failure to enact electoral reform was a ‘big regret’, says Justin Trudeau

After announcing his plans to step down as Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau conceded that one of his biggest regrets from his ten year tenure was his failure to push forward with electoral reform. Trudeau came to power in 2015 when his Liberal Party won 54.4% of seats in parliament on the basis of just 39.5% of votes cast. Despite promising to do away with the First-Past-The-Post voting system, his government has failed to make headway on this agenda.

See you next time,

James, Max and the UK Democracy Network team