Restoring the Demos: Is compulsory voting the answer?

27^th November 2013

Last month Russell Brand espoused his disdain for our ‘broken political system’. He asserted that, by voting, we endorse the inadequacy of our leaders and reinforce the imbalance of our flawed system of democracy.

Democracy + Electoral reform + Engagement + Voter turnout

Democratising Schooling: Enfranchising our pupils to foster responsibility

27^th November 2013

In previous decades the UK’s education system has been targeted for numerous reforms, but in many ways its potential has barely been tapped. The biggest failure of today’s vision of educational reform is its inability to see schools as the generators of social, political and economic capital that they could be.

Democratic education + Education + Education reform + Radical education

If you eat, you’re in: Building a better society through food

26^th November 2013

Why has a local food movement that started in a rather run-down Yorkshire mill town turned into a phenomenon that’s catching people’s imagination around the world? Incredible Edible Todmorden has been going six years since its co-founder, Pam Warhurst, came back from a conference inspired to take action in her community; since community worker Mary Clear dug up her rose garden and planted vegetables with a big sign saying ‘help yourself’; and since ‘propaganda planter’ Nick Green turned the derelict medical centre where mass murderer Harold Shipman used to practice into a free feast for passers-by.

Community Budgets: The proven path to local empowerment

25^th November 2013

At the same time as facing increased demand for services, councils up and down the country are grappling with significant reductions to their budgets. This cannot go on indefinitely – something has to give.

Innovation, Social Investment and the Church’s Mission

21^st November 2013

The Church is a longstanding driver of social innovation. Just a brief glance through history reveals myriad examples of churches engaged in the service of their communities. From monasteries pioneering educational and health care services to modern-day food banks, the Christian community has embarked upon local social innovation at countless levels.

Learning Lessons from Church Schools

19^th November 2013

The need for a new approach It often seems that our current political class is unable to break out of the paucity of partisan debate, whereby solutions must be either market-based or state-based.

Faith Communities Make Society More Civil

18^th November 2013

With the celebration of Inter Faith Week and Mitzvah Day this week, faith communities will again have the opportunity to show us that they are the architects and builders of civil society.

Forget Help to Buy, let’s have Help to Generate

14^th November 2013

This year, the concept of community or locally owned energy has, to some extent, gone mainstream. Large scale projects such as Neilston, Westmill and Lochcarnan have hit local headlines, and politicians have hit the headlines nationally, expressing effusive support.

Reform to the Sustainable Communities Act: How participation will revolutionise politics

13^th November 2013

Parish and town councils are the closest level of governance to the local community, but have historically had less power over local issues than larger councils. There was a big shift to this last month, when Local Works achieved their latest campaign aim to extend the powers of the Sustainable Communities Act to these small local councils.

Making sure work pays

6^th November 2013

Poverty is costly for the British Government. It has to cover large parts of the living costs for millions of people who earn less than the defined living standards; in the meantime this keeps the poor stuck in a poverty trap.

Living wage + Low pay