How councils can strengthen civic engagement

Hambleton, Robin

Abstract

Elected local authorities provide civic spaces within which public discourse can take place. Given the rise in tensions within society the role of local authorities in enabling dialogue between those holding different views has increased. Inspired by a remarkable Bristol City Council meeting this article outlines three ways of enhancing citizen participation in local decision-making: 1) Creating new settings for dialogue; 2) Experimenting with existing council meetings; and 3) Strengthening the power of elected local authorities.

• Digital Artefact Type: Blog Post
• Acceptance Date: Jan 4, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Jan 10, 2024
• Publication Date: Jan 10, 2024
• Deposit Date: Jan 22, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 22, 2024
• Keywords: participatory democracy; representative democracy; civic engagement
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/11624068
• External URL: https://www.lgcplus.com/politics/governance-and-structure/robin-hambleton-how-councils-can-strengthen-civic-engagement-10-01-2024/