An online notebook
DCLG have today announced that residents, bloggers, tweeters, community activists and hyperlocal sites should have the same access and facilities to council meetings as traditional newspaper journalists. This is important because it means Government recognises the valuable contribute the wider community makes to accountability in local government. It’s a very timely announcement. For a while now … Keep reading
So, online petitions for Parliament? In an attempt to reduce what is seen as a disconnection between the public and parliament, ministers will ensure that the most popular petition on the government website Direct.gov.uk will be drafted as a bill. It is also planning to guarantee that petitions which reach a fixed level of support … Keep reading
In what looks like a pretty interesting collaboration between what was the LGA Group and YouGov, YouChoose is an online budget simulator that: encourages members of the public to consider where council budget cuts should fall, where efficiencies might be made, and where income might be generated. You can see a working version up and … Keep reading
I’m thrashing around with a post about consultation, engagement and crowdsourcing and why efforts in this direction haven’t been massively successful for governments – whether in the UK or elsewhere. I’ll get it into a fit state to publish one day, maybe. Catherine Howe (CEO of Public-I) is carrying out some research into how all … Keep reading
It’s frequently costly. It almost always achieves little. It lets people tick the “use the internet to engage with the public” box without actually achieving much. I am, of course, talking about webcasting council meetings. The idea has honourable roots. But the world has moved on. Both print and broadcast media have steadily moved away … Keep reading