COUNCILS should set up “wi-fi plazas” on streets and in buildings such as job centres to encourage people to participate in spending debates, says the New Local Government Network (NLGN) think-tank.
In its report 21st Century Democracy, the NLGN says that councils should adopt Scottish-style e-petitions to engage people in local politics. “Formal structures of participation are not adequate on their own,” says Giorgia Iacopin, the author of the report. “Revitalising democracy means creating new opportunities for people to have their opinions and concerns addressed.”
It also calls on the Audit Commission to establish a fund to reward councils that use e-petitioning to involve 20 per cent of the population in dialogue within two years.
The report highlights the Scottish government’s successful use of e-petitioning but criticises the British Government for not having “any formal system for debating the petitions in Parliament or warranting a Government response”.
Council performance is also under the spotlight in PR Week (Feb 1), which reveals that LG Communications, the organisation representing local government communicators, has established a commission to analyse the declining reputation of councils despite increasing satisfaction with individual services.
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The commission’s first task will be to define what constitutes effective local government communication. www.nlgn.org.uk