Councils around the country are gearing up for this year’s local democracy week, which takes place from Monday 13 to Sunday 19 October. Resources on offer from the LGA include a resource pack for citizenship teachers, featuring successful lesson ideas from up and down the country, and advice on how to hold political speed dating sessions, mock elections and more. Councils can order the information packs from Ben Dudley, the LGA’s local democracy week co-ordinator, by emailing ben.dudley@lga.gov.uk. There is also a wealth of information online at http://localdemocracy.lga.gov.uk

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6 October 2008
© LGA

The results of our Great Rural Debate on Schools poll are in. We asked you if a rural community can thrive without a local school? Just over 60 percent of voters said no. The Great Rural Debate on Schools was launched to tie in with the recent consultation on the Scottish Government’s proposals to change the way school closures are handled. The issue is a complex one - and we recognise that the poll is just a snapshot. To kickstart debate, Dr Kate Braithwaite from Carnegie UK Trust and north-east parent Paulina Johnston gave their views on the subject. Rural Gateway members have been adding comments about the issue. You can read these valuable contributions and comments, and join the discussion at Great Rural Debate on Schools: http://www.ruralgateway.org.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=2373&d=11&h=24&f=46

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3 October 2008
© Rural Gateway

Increasing the number of people who feel they can influence decisions in their locality is a priority for many Local Authorities in the region, and the Empowering Communities Partnership, led by Creating Excellence, has just published a report benchmarking the activities of twelve Authorities on this work. The report also explores Authorities’ potential help and support needs in improving their performance. Carried out by SERIO, (Socio-economic Research and Intelligence Observatory) at the University of Plymouth, this authoritative report, commissioned in June 2008, provides in-depth information on how key authorities are approaching the Government’s National Indicator 4, (the percentage of people who feel they can influence decisions in their locality), and provides valuable information for developing resources and training to support them. For more information see the executive summary here. Download the Executive Summary as a PDF: www.creatingexcellence.org.uk/ceimages/FinalReportExecutiveSummaryLAANI4Benchmarking.pdf

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2 October 2008
© Creating Excellence

Are you campaigning to keep your local school or post office open? Or campaigning against a windfarm in your local area? Maybe you are trying to keep your village’s telephone box? Do you want to have your say on television? If so, BBC’s Landward programme with Nick Nairn want to hear from you. The BBC are currently looking for local campaigners to speak in front of the camera about issues that are important to them.

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23 September 2008
© Rural Gateway

Every state secondary school in England this week received guidance on involving councillors and councils in citizenship classes. How can schools encourage young people to become more involved with their local council? The handy LGA guide has landed on citizenship coordinators desks up and down the country, and is full of tried and tested lesson ideas for all age groups, designed to bring schools and local politics together. Ben Dudley, communications manager at the LGA said: “We know these lesson ideas work, because we’ve gathered them from schools and councils who have developed them together and know them to be effective.” The schools guide is part of a series of ‘how to’ booklets supporting the LGA’s local democracy campaign. Similar guides for councils were produced last year, offering a range of ideas for events for town halls to try out with local young people. “They proved very popular with councils, so we are using the same approach with schools this year,” added Mr Dudley. The LGA’s local democracy campaign is about getting young people more aware of, and involved with, their local council. Local democracy week takes place during the third week of October every year, but the ideas in the ‘how to’ guides can be run at any time. Ipsos MORI research for the LGA shows that just one in three 11-16 year olds has ever met a councillor or MP. But those who have “are more likely to express feelings of political engagement and interest”. To receive a guide telephone the LGA on 020 7664 3131 or email info@lga.gov.uk

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22 September 2008
© LGA

This leaflet introduces Particpatory Budgeting and outlines the work CRC are doing with the Participatory Budgeting Unit to find practical ways to promote and support PB approaches within the parish and town council sector and across local government in rural areas. CRC will be working with a small number of pilot areas to develop PB as a tool to enable local people to participate in local decision making. Free download: http://www.participatorybudgeting.org.uk/

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18 September 2008
© Commission for Rural Communities

Recently highlighted by Nonprofit Online News: a political role-playing framework the Global Justice Game, intended as a training tool for global justice activists and for undergraduate courses on globalisation issues. There are seven scenarios, with complete material for both coordinators and participants available online at http://www.globaljusticegame.mrap.info

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15 September 2008
© VoluntaryNews

This guide is published jointly by NAVCA, IDeA and Urban Forum with the support of the National Empowerment Partnership to provide information on how local authorities work and what they are responsible for. It is designed to help people understand what their council does and help community groups have a greater say in local decision making. It provides essential information to help citizens and groups make the most of opportunities to influence decision-making and hold their council to account.

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13 September 2008
© NAVCA

A new report published highlights what needs to be done to get more underrepresented groups of women to play an active role in civic and civil life. Women from all walks of life remain underrepresented in decision making roles and this is particularly true of women from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds. Only 29.3% of local authority councillors in England are women and of them, only 3% are BAME women. Currently, less than 20% of MPs are female. There are only two minority ethnic women MPs and there has never been an Asian woman MP. Closing the Gap is a report on the findings of The Women Take Part project announced in 2007, by Government Equalities Office and the Department for Communities and Local Government. Women Take Part aimed to identify the key ingredients to supporting women from underrepresented groups to become active in public life and deliver change - what works and why; and the key elements likely to have a long term and sustainable impact.

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4 September 2008
© Cabinet Office (National)

Hundreds of thousands of people will lose the right to complain about noise, pollution or disruption caused by the construction of major infrastructure projects under proposals set out in the Planning Bill, council leaders are warning today. LACORS, which oversees councils’ environmental protection work, has written to Local Government Secretary Hazel Blears expressing concerns that the controversial clause would silence local opposition to new building projects via the back door. The letter has also been signed by the charity Environmental Protection UK. Current proposals would see around 40 to 50 nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs), including airports, rail links, trunk roads and power stations, given the go ahead each year by the proposed new national planning commission. The Government has sought to reassure councils that they will have an important role to play, with council-produced local impact assessments highlighting any potential negative impacts of development on local people. However the addition of Clause 151 means that once developments have been given the go-ahead, councils will be unable to act on any complaints from local people regarding nuisance caused by noise, odour, light or any other type of pollution resulting from development work. The Local Government Association, a cross-party organisation which represents all councils in England, has already expressed concerns that too many large-scale infrastructure projects are being put in the hands of the commission and that the wishes of local people could be bypassed. The LGA wants to see the number of NSIPs reduced to single figures.

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13 August 2008
© LGA/LACORS