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UK Democracy Bulletin, September 2026

UK Democracy Bulletin, September 2026
Participants of the Nottingham Climate Assembly (Photo credit: Nottingham Climate Assembly)

Issue #84 — September 2026

Monthly news, jobs, grants and gossip from across the democracy sector, brought to you by the UK Democracy Network. 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
  2. See the latest democracy jobs & add your own
  3. Check available democracy funding
  4. Explore the Democracy Map
  5. Subscribe to the UK Democracy Announcements Mailing List

Highlights

  • Fair Vote UK coordinate civil society letter to the new government
  • Spycops survivors to fight consultation on curtailing their inquiry
  • Maidstone Council publish findings from citizen deliberation on VAWG
  • Public Interest News Foundation’s Local News Forum heads to Belfast 9–10 October
  • Goldsmiths publish new in-depth research into effects of voter ID
  • Liberty warns terror sentences against protesters sets dangerous precedent
  • APPG inquiry finds schools and colleges ‘undemocratic places’

Democracy Jobs

Featured Job Listings across the Democracy Sector. View the full database of upcoming job listings here. There are currently 88 open democracy sector jobs at the time of publication — have we missed any? Add them via this form.

Rolling deadlines

Multiple roles: Association of Democratic Services Officers

Featured upcoming roles

Calls to Action

Consultations to respond to, open letters to sign, convening to follow and collaborators wanted
The Social Change Nest are on the lookout for new members of their advisory collective.

Network for Police Monitoring and Defend Our Juries call for support over Rajiv Menon KC

Network for Police Monitoring and Defend Our Juries are petitioning Justice Secretary Alex Norris and Attorney General Ellie Reeves to protect juries from judicial interference, after Rajiv Menon KC has become the first barrister in British legal history to face contempt proceedings over the content of a closing speech. Share the petition here. Menon spoke to LegalFutures last week about his ‘chilling’ contempt prosecution.

Unlock fight clause stripping the vote from 16 and 17 year olds in youth detention
Unlock and organisations across the youth justice sector wrote to the Secretary of State opposing Clause 2 of the Representation of the People Bill, which would bar 16 and 17 year olds in youth detention from voting once their age group gets the franchise.

Spycops survivors to fight consultation on curtailing their inquiry
The Home Office opened a consultation this summer into the future of the Undercover Policing Inquiry. Participants want the consultation withdrawn, objecting that the Public Office (Accountability) Bill is being used to justify weakening a statutory inquiry before it is even made law, and the Campaign Opposing Police Surveillance and Police Spies Out Of Lives.

Research for Action want to hear from people in Croydon
Research for Action is deepening their work on council bankruptcies and government interventions, and what both mean for workers, campaigners and local services. They want to speak to anyone with experience of the intervention at Croydon Council — get in touch at info@researchforaction.uk.

People Powered want visual stories that make democracy travel, by 14 September
The Democracy Stories Lab is open to creators anywhere in the world — civic tech, organising, comedy, art, games, lifestyle content — for short videos, illustrations and graphics engaging one of five narrative frameworks from the Democracy Narratives Alliance’s research on how to talk about democracy. Four winners will receive $1,000 each, with five honourable mentions taking $500, and a global screening event to follow. Apply by 14 September here.

Citizen Network combine grassroots charter into new campaign with Unlock Democracy

Devolve Wealth calls for a Local Citizens Fund in every neighbourhood.

Social Change Nest are looking for new recruits for their Advisory Collective.

The Disability Policy Centre asks MPs to report confidentially whether they are disabled.

National Union of Journalists ask journalists to log abuse via Journalists’ Safety Tracker.

Stop Funding Hate want MPs to ask why Ofcom is not enforcing its own code

National Association of Local Councils want nominations for councillors under 30 who are changing their places

Funding & Grants

New grants awarded, funds opening, and money flowing into the work
Churchill Fellowship have announced theirnew fellowship programme.

Churchill Fellowship open to applications

The Churchill Fellowship’s Civic and Democratic Engagement Programme opens on the 1st September and is looking to support those with promising ideas for civic and democratic innovation. Would you like to know more?

Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust kickstarts new round of applications

JRRT’s most recent round closed yesterday, so your next opportunity to apply for funding is Monday 2 November, with final applications hot on the heels by Monday 9 November. The same dates cover JRRT, the JRSST Charitable Trust and the UK Democracy Fund, and anything at or under £10,000 can go in at any time — see the deadlines here.

Friends Provident Foundation close their grant strategy to new enquiries

Friends Provident Foundation announced on 8 August that its current strategy, which funds work to transform the financial system and shift how people think about the economy, is closed to new enquiries, with final decisions at the March 2027 board meeting. Danielle Walker Palmour is also retiring as Director — read the notice here. In recent years they’ve funded such organisations as The Institute for Welsh Affairs, New Economy Organisers Network and Stir To Action.

Events & Convenings

What’s coming up: summits, festivals, training, coworking and gatherings worth turning up to
PINF’s 2025 Local News Forum (Photo credit: PINF)

Social Change Nest convene Wild Times, an unconference for people holding communities together, Tuesday 15th September
Wild Times brings grassroots organisers, mutual aid networks and activists to The Priory Rooms in Birmingham around four themes — looking after ourselves, each other, our communities and our democracy. The Social Change Nest promise a peer led gathering rather than a conference, with tickets tiered by ability to pay — starting at £1. Book a place here.

PINF take the Local News Forum to Belfast, Friday 9 and Saturday 10 October
The Public Interest News Foundation’s fifth Local News Forum, at the Metropolitan Arts Centre in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter, will have the Local News Fund, the BBC relationship and big tech all on the agenda. Last year’s attendees reported at least ten new connections each, and bursaries are hoped for where travel and accommodation would be a barrier — Book a ticket here.

Safety Not Surveillance make their case against predictive policing across England

The Safety Not Surveillance coalition, convened with the Open Rights Group, is running community town halls on AI and crime-prediction tools in policing in London, Manchester and Bristol over the next 6 weeks. Safety Not Surveillance

Elect Her running full programme of support for women standing for election

While only a third of sitting councillors are women, Elect Her’s free online workshops, peer support circles, coaching and candidate clinics build the skills and confidence for a new generation of women to stand ahead of the 2027 local elections. Scotland runs on 3 September and Wales on 8 September. Register now.

The Politics Project open autumn training for teachers and youth practitioners, from Thursday 17 September
The Politics Project has teacher training for Digital Dialogue: Wales on 17 September, Conversations with Politicians training for youth practitioners on 23 September and 14 October, and a Gamifying Democracy workshop on 1 October. Further education colleges can register interest in Building to the Ballot, which prepares 16 and 17 year olds to take part. Book onto one of TPP’s many trainings here.

The Festival of Commoning returns to Stroud, 2–3 October

The Festival of Commoning celebrates and gathers the movement of people working to bring things like land, housing, energy and leisure facilities into community and democratic ownership, to remain available for future generations. Would you like to know more?

Climate Emergency UK open their Local Climate Academy.

Active Inquiry running new legislative theatre training in Edinburgh.

New Economy Organisers Network to hold London Summer Gathering, Saturday 5 September.

Consul Democracy gather the digital participation field in Munich, Tuesday 15 to Thursday 17 September.

York St John launch new democratic education guidance for youth workers, Wednesday 30 September.

Research, Reports & Tools

Fresh thinking, new evidence and practical resources to put to use
The People Act’s new map of legislative theatre activity.

Schools and colleges ‘undemocratic places’, APPG inquiry finds

Dr Freya Aquarone of King’s College London’s Centre for Public Policy Research, has published the findings of the APPG for Schools, Learning and Assessment inquiry. Many young people experience their schools and colleges as highly undemocratic, particularly those from historically marginalised groups, the paper states, and calls for non-tokenistic roles for students in governance and decision-making, investment in teacher training for democratic classroom practice, and a clear core curriculum entitlement for citizenship as both a subject and a cross-curricular theme. Read Empowering students as democratic citizens here.

UCL Constitution Unit set out key steps to shore up the UK constitution
Safeguarding the Constitution: Key Steps to Strengthen UK Democratic Resilience, authored by Lisa James, Meg Russell and Alan Renwick, makes 28 recommendations across seven areas after a decade the authors say has exposed the risk of relying on convention alone. Read the full report here. But that’s not all — UCL’s Constitution Unit published their latest must-read quarterly Monitor. Read Monitor 93 here.

Goldsmiths publish new in-depth research into effects of voter ID
In their new report New Strategies for Voter Inclusivity in Great Britain, Sue Clayton and Harry Busz of Goldsmiths, University of London surveyed 1,000 voters outside polling stations and in follow up interviews across five election days between October 2023 and May 2025. They identified six key groups at risk of disenfranchisement, including under 25s, people on low incomes, eligible migrant voters and Disabled voters. Only 13% said the rules had increased their trust in elections against 35% who said it had reduced — Read the report.

Demos and Kinship Works cost a Marshall Plan for Civic Life
Demos have published options for a Marshall Plan for Civic Life, setting out with James Plunkett at Kinship Works how a fund to refinance community foundations at the scale of the post-war restoration of Europe might work. Polly Curtis says hundreds of organisations have been in touch since the proposal first floated, it has been shared across the political divide, and a delivery-scoping programme is now forming. Read the options paper here.

Demos call for government to repair UK information supply chain.

Greater London Authority publish their 2025/2026 evaluation report of civic and democratic participation.

Human Rights First find migrant support groups in Northern Ireland under sustained attack.

Demos warn that hostile states threaten UK’s epistemic security.

The People Act map legislative theatre projects worldwide.

the3million warn new eVisa system threatens key rights.

mySociety start project scrutinising government use of AI

Connected by Data publish the write-up of their power and participation conference.

Civic Tech Field Guide open the world’s largest civic tech directory to machines.

Democracy Sector

The latest moves, hires, partnerships and organisational news from across the democracy sector
mySociety’s WhatDoTheyKnow played a key role in uncovering the coverup detailed in Buried with Michael Sheen, a new BBC two-parter (Photo credit: BBC)

Burnham’s social care conversation is collaborative democracy in practice, say Demos

Polly Curtis, Chief Executive at Demos, says Burnham’s collaborative politics is opening up the most stuck policy issue, social care, to the country and across parties. The Big Conversation on Care launched on 29 July and is open to anyone in England, with Ipsos leading the research and engagement programme, Make.org providing the platform, and Demos advising on the participatory process. Find out more about the Case Commission.

Institute for Welsh Affairs publishes long read on rewiring government in Wales and Westminster

As the Plaid Cymru Government passes their first hundred days in office, the Institute for Welsh Affairs unpack Plaid’s government reform agenda, in the context of similar reformist attitudes at the UK-wide level.

Rejuvenating British democracy is the defining task of Burnham’s Government, argue Compass

Professor James Sloam, writing for Compass, details the youth democratic deficit in a new paper, making the case that action on democratic renewal in youth participation requires action on both the demand and supply sides of democracy.

mySociety speaks to campaigners about the role of FOI in new BBC show

MySociety’s Myf Nixon interviewed Paul Cawthorne, a vicar and environmental campaigner featured in the new BBC show Buried with Michael Sheen. The interview covers the role FOI and WhatDoTheyKnow played in the course of the decades long investigation into chemical giant Monsanto mass dumping highly dangerous chemicals across Wales and England. Read Myf’s interview here.

In other news, mySociety was announced this week as new member of the Global Democracy Coalition.

The Decelerator charts where UK civil society is at with endings, and what can be improved.

Electoral Commission looking for their first in-house developer, for their first in-house digital delivery team. See the job listing for more information.

Citizen Network argue devolution fails unless neighbourhoods can take the power being offered.

Public Interest News Foundation imagined a co-creative BBC at this PINF workshop last month.

Connected by Data announce they are winding down.

Upcoming Legislation

Bills, amendments and parliamentary activity from Westminster, Holyrood, Stormont and the Senedd
Then Shadow Minister for Democracy Florence Eshalomi speaking at the 2024 Democracy Network Conference (Photo Credit: Involve UK)

Fair Vote UK coordinate civil society letter to the new government
Fair Vote UK gathered civil society signatures for a letter to the government ahead of the Representation of the People Bill’s Commons report stage yesterday. The letter makes the case for stronger engagement between the government and civil society organisations. Anyone working on the bill can join the RotP Bill coordination working group by contacting Fleur Boya at Fair Vote — email fleur@fairvote.uk to get on the list for the weekly calls and collaboration.

Votes at 16 will not reach Northern Irish voters in time for 2027, Electoral Commission says

The Electoral Commission has stated the Representation of the People Bill’s extension of the franchise, which will affect around 50,000 16–17 year olds in Northern Ireland, will not be ready for the combined local and Assembly elections in 2027. Cahir Hughes, Head of Electoral Commission in Northern Ireland, has welcomed the provisions set out in the Bill as ‘important for making elections in Northern Ireland more accessible’ and strengthening the resilience and integrity of the electoral system.

Unlock fight clause stripping the vote from 16 and 17 year olds in youth detention
Unlock and organisations across the youth justice sector wrote to the Secretary of State opposing Clause 2 of the Representation of the People Bill, which would bar 16 and 17 year olds in youth detention from voting once their age group gets the franchise. Unlock estimate the move disenfranchises 610 young people and are seeking further partners to join the coalition. Read about the Unlock the Vote campaign here or contact policy@unlock.org.uk.

Women’s Democracy Group lobby for amendments to the Representation of the People Bill
The Women’s Democracy Group, a seven-strong coalition including the Jo Cox Foundation, the Fawcett Society and Centenary Action, is working to ensure the Representation of the People Bill reflects their proposed changes as it moves through Parliament. Convened by Elect Her, members are now coordinating a House of Lords event, with timings to be confirmed once the legislative schedule is finalised.

Political and Media Literacy amendment tabled for RotP Bill

Matt Bishop MP, Chair of the APPG on Political and Media Literacy has tabled an amendment on the Representation of the People Bill. The amendment aims to place ‘political confidence, media literacy, and democratic awareness at the heart of upcoming electoral reforms.’ Shout Out UK are calling the amendment a major legislative milestone for democratic education and youth participation.

Scottish Government publishes draft Independence Referendum Bill

The Scottish Government published its draft Independence Referendum Bill on Friday 28 August, delivering the SNP’s promise to do so within its first hundred days and putting the question “Should Scotland be an independent country?” to registered voters aged 16 and over, along with qualifying foreign nationals.

Britain has a new Democracy Minister
Florence Eshalomi, now holds the democracy brief and the Representation of the People Bill with it. She pressed for reassurance that the bill would return promptly after recess; Leader of the House Sir Alan Campbell confirmed it will. I Have A Voice note the bill was pulled on 14 July to make room for the Hillsborough Law, with report stage and third reading now on 2 September before the Lords take it. Track the bill here.

Labour MPs table amendments to tighten party funding rules before the elections bill returns

Society of Editors win explicit defence on implications of the National Security Act.

Stella Creasy MP pushes a £100,000 cap on donations from anyone, wherever they live.

Reform UK press to end Commonwealth voting rights as elections bill heads back to the Commons.Editors note: we missed this at the time, but speaking to others, so did much of the sector — so we’ve included it in this month’s issue.

Process & Representation

Electoral reform, electoral law, candidate selection and party reform, Westminster and devolved parliaments
Democracy Club’s new interactive map of Northern Ireland’s proposed new polling place scheme (Photo credit: Democracy Club).

Shout Out UK publish digital safety guide for managing online intimidation
Blocking the Noise is a guide for political candidates and their support staff on managing online intimidation, abuse and digital safety, built around firsthand accounts. Shout Out UK produced it with Welsh Government Candidate Diversity Grant funding, co-designed with Elect Her, Disability Wales, Race Equality First and the Jo Cox Foundation, alongside candidates, serving representatives, staff and policing teams. It comes in English and Welsh, each with an Easy Read version. Download the guide here.

Electoral Commission report on May’s flexible voting pilots
The Electoral Commission has published new reporting on flexible voting pilots run during May’s English local elections, with further findings due in the second half of the year and more pilots planned for May 2027. Read the Commission’s reporting here and Democracy Club’s explainer of the pilots

Democracy Club map Northern Ireland’s polling places
Democracy Club have built the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland an interactive map of every proposed polling place for 2027, with assigned addresses and boundary toggles. This is the first time, Democracy Club’s Peter Keeling believes, that an entire UK region’s polling scheme has been publicly mapped. The trigger is 6 May 2027’s rare combined council and Assembly election, which forces two different station layouts into one. The consultation runs until 2 October. Explore the map here.

Electoral Commission and Senedd to review new Senedd voting system

May’s election was the first Senedd election fought under a closed proportional list system, with 96 Members returned across 16 six-member constituencies. The Electoral Commission will soon publish its statutory report on how the new system performed. Separately the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Act 2024 obliges the new Llywydd (presiding officer) to propose a committee to review the Act and the electoral system, which will then report back — would you like to know more?

Lord Speaker warns Lords reform could blow a constitutional fuse.

Jo Cox Foundation warns the response to violence must not push MPs further from constituents.

National Association of Local Councils press the government to act at last on councillor standards.

Hansard Society warn House of Commons is about to abolish its regional outreach team.

House of Commons Library start counting the MPs who will not stand next election

Power & Structure

Where power sits and who gets a seat at the table
A Barclays Bank near Barnsley was targeted by Palestine Action (Photo credit: Milo Chandler / Alamy)

ICO changes threaten strategic visibility of Freedom of Information, say mySociety

Policy and Advocacy Manager at mySociety, Julia Cushion, argues the ICO’s move to board-government leaves FOI barely visibly in its draft corporate strategy, with no information rights specialists among the seven new non-executive members and an FOI function still funded by government grant.

Terrorism charges will not be applied to Barclays Five, Liberty responds

Just last month the protesters known as the ‘Barclays Five’ faced being sentenced under terror laws, despite being convicted of non-terror criminal charges. This decision has now been rescinded by Judge Altham, the recorder of Preston. Liberty welcomed the news.

Liberty warns terror sentences against protesters sets dangerous precedent
The protestors, known as the ‘Barclays Five’, face being sentenced under terror laws despite being convicted of non-terror criminal charges. The move highlights the deep flaws in the UK’s counter terror laws, Liberty says. Akiko Hart, Liberty director, said: “UK’s counter terror laws capture activity most people would never consider terrorism.”

Unlock Democracy bid to build a tracker for every measure that chips at UK democracy
Tom Brake has put a bid to the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust for a UK Action Tracker, built with Christina Pagel of Trump Action Tracker fame, logging any measure from any UK party that impinges on democracy, open for anyone to draw on.

Unlock Democracy convene coalition urging Burnham to legislate on lobbying
Unlock Democracy, Transparency International UK, Spotlight on Corruption, Action on Smoking and Health and the Chartered Institute of Public Relations wrote to the Prime Minister last month asking him to implement the Ethics and Integrity Commission’s recommendations as a matter of urgency. Read the coalition’s letter here and Spotlight on Corruption’s own analysis here.

Reform UK ban journalists who investigated the party from its conference. Similarly, Labour banned Owen Jones from last year’s Labour Party conference.

Burnham first PM to back a written constitution, says The Constitution Society.

National Risk Register has been updated to include risk of interference in the UK’s democratic process.

Big Brother Watch reports government drops plan to restrict VPNs.

Electoral Reform Society argues Anas Sarwar’s Lords appointment exposes problems of the institution.

Ethics and Integrity Commission calls for every lobbying contact to be publicly declared.

Democracy for Sale argue Britain cannot fix corruption until it admits it has some.

Former council exec convicted of deleting email to foil FOI request.

Capacity & Engagement

Building and strengthening a healthy democratic culture
Participants at Involve UK and Maidstone Borough Council’s deliberation session on violence against women and girls (Photo credit: Maidstone Borough Council).

Open Government Scotland publish co-creation report behind their fourth National Action Plan

Juliet Swann, civil society co-chair of Open Government Scotland, and Doreen Grove, the Scottish Government’s Head of Open Government, have published the final report from the co-creation process behind Scotland’s fourth Open Government Partnership National Action Plan, which Swann and Grove describe as the country’s open government “to do list” for the next five years. The Scottish Community Development Centre ran the extensive engagement and consultation process and found strong support for the principles alongside a consistent gap between aspiration and practice, with public participation described as fragmented, inconsistent and insufficiently resourced — read the final report here.

Maidstone put £250k behind recommendations of citizen deliberation on violence against women and girls

Maidstone Borough Council have published the findings of a citizen deliberation on violence against women and girls run in partnership with Involve, which the council believes is the first of its kind in England on this subject, and have committed £250,000 to their part of a new borough-wide action plan. Read the council’s report for more information, including details on the deliberation design.

Environment and Climate Assembly held in Nottingham

The volunteer-run Nottingham Environment and Climate Assembly has published the manifesto from the city’s first citywide citizens’ assembly, where 57 residents drawn by sortition from 600 applicants deliberated over two days in the Council House before voting on recommendations. Local culture magazine LeftLion was on the scene to witness the event.

But that’s not all from Nottingham, the New Art Exchange gallery’s new VOICE Assembly has opened up governance of the space to the local community through a permanent 40 resident rolling assembly recruited by lottery.

Local Trust close the biggest ever experiment in resident-led funding

Big Local ended in March after 15 years: 150 neighbourhoods and just over £1m each from the National Lottery Community Fund, no targets, no competitive rounds, complete freedom over the money. Read Chief executive Rachel Rowney’s account here.

Jon Alexander hosts new TED talk arguing change starts with the citizen.

New Local look back on Stronger Things 2026.

And now for something completely different …

A glance beyond the UK sector
Folkemodet on the island of Bornholm (Photo credit: Democracy Festivals Association)

Folkemodet’s annual gathering sees 65,000 gather to debate in the open air

As part of the Democracy Festivals Association, encompassing NI’s Imagine Belfast, the Latvian Lampa Conversation Festival and Sweden’s Almedalsveckan, Denmark’s Folkemodet brings together 65,000 people for more than 2,500 events every June to debate, argue and engage in dialogue on key issues. ERS Scotland’s Campaign Organiser Alice Kinghorn-Gray wonders what a democracy festival on that scale would look like in the UK.

Mehr Demokratie notes sortition is becoming institutionalised in a range of countries

American democracy funders ask, are we making things worse?

That’s all for now,

James and the Democracy Network team