Building Local Democracy
We reported on, updated and discussed a range of grassroots initiatives in communities around the country and what we could take/learn from them:
Trust the People - part of an XR training programme, which aims to develop community organisers, and would be equally applicable to any community organising.
Civic socialism in the borough of Barking and Dagenham through the local Labour council, building a new economy; empowering public services via a ‘one stop shop’, and addressing citizenship and participation in terms of rights and responsibilities. Part of Participatory Cities - Citizens Alliance Network
Flat Pack Democracy How people in Frome, Somerset turned their poorly functioning party-political local council upside down and within a couple of years elected Independents to represent them. Community empowerment, which has also spread to the village of Buckfastleigh, Devon. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/jun/12/how-to-take-over-your-town-the-inside-story-of-a-local-revolution
Representative democracy What is it? Always elected representatives? Local spokespeople [unelected]. How do we choose them? How do we engage with our local elected councillors? In May 2021 there will be elections for Oxford City Council [48 seats], Oxfordshire County Council [63 seats], District and Parish Councils [many more seats]. ODC agreed to present a Manifesto for Local Democracy 2021 to put to those seeking election, and to develop this at the March 2021 ODC.
Ideas/proposals from the discussions
Citizens Assemblies, or smaller, less ambitious local community groups set up along similar lines to CAs to bring local people together, for example over low traffic neighbourhood proposals which tended to polarise.
Green T[ea] – Eynsham as a Transition Town; to develop resilience to climate change and live more locally. Green T also seeks to influence local councillors [West Oxfordshire] and the MP to designate Eynsham a Garden Village and resist it being more than doubled in size through housing development. Green Tea
How to do things without money? Eg communities picnicking on the playground and involving adults and children while addressing local issues.
People were missing face to face communicating, although others pointed out it is possible to talk, talk, talk, [masked!] to neighbours, in bus queues, over the neighbours’ wall.
For volunteers, community organising takes a lot of energy and time. An important question is How can ODC engage? Those at the previous zoom meeting when asked what they liked about ODC, said:
How useful it was meeting different people and groups and learning what was going on, holding councillors to account, that although feeling a bit low, this was also a moment of opportunity to get others involved; ‘Let a 1000 flowers bloom’.
- Building up from communities?
- Working with our representatives?
- Flatpack democracy?
We reported on, updated and discussed a range of grassroots initiatives in communities around the country and what we could take/learn from them:
Trust the People - part of an XR training programme, which aims to develop community organisers, and would be equally applicable to any community organising.
Civic socialism in the borough of Barking and Dagenham through the local Labour council, building a new economy; empowering public services via a ‘one stop shop’, and addressing citizenship and participation in terms of rights and responsibilities. Part of Participatory Cities - Citizens Alliance Network
Flat Pack Democracy How people in Frome, Somerset turned their poorly functioning party-political local council upside down and within a couple of years elected Independents to represent them. Community empowerment, which has also spread to the village of Buckfastleigh, Devon. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/jun/12/how-to-take-over-your-town-the-inside-story-of-a-local-revolution
Representative democracy What is it? Always elected representatives? Local spokespeople [unelected]. How do we choose them? How do we engage with our local elected councillors? In May 2021 there will be elections for Oxford City Council [48 seats], Oxfordshire County Council [63 seats], District and Parish Councils [many more seats]. ODC agreed to present a Manifesto for Local Democracy 2021 to put to those seeking election, and to develop this at the March 2021 ODC.
Ideas/proposals from the discussions
Citizens Assemblies, or smaller, less ambitious local community groups set up along similar lines to CAs to bring local people together, for example over low traffic neighbourhood proposals which tended to polarise.
Green T[ea] – Eynsham as a Transition Town; to develop resilience to climate change and live more locally. Green T also seeks to influence local councillors [West Oxfordshire] and the MP to designate Eynsham a Garden Village and resist it being more than doubled in size through housing development. Green Tea
How to do things without money? Eg communities picnicking on the playground and involving adults and children while addressing local issues.
People were missing face to face communicating, although others pointed out it is possible to talk, talk, talk, [masked!] to neighbours, in bus queues, over the neighbours’ wall.
For volunteers, community organising takes a lot of energy and time. An important question is How can ODC engage? Those at the previous zoom meeting when asked what they liked about ODC, said:
How useful it was meeting different people and groups and learning what was going on, holding councillors to account, that although feeling a bit low, this was also a moment of opportunity to get others involved; ‘Let a 1000 flowers bloom’.
