DISCOVER - recent finds

The Elections Bill’s come in for criticism again, this time from the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee. The Committee's recent report noted that introducing voter ID will negatively impact voter turnout, especially among certain social groups, and recommended that the Government should delay these proposals until more research and consultation has been done. They also said that the Bill lacked pre-legislative scrutiny and public consultation and concluded that a wholesale review and consolidation of electoral law is needed.

A new publication calls on Government to set out a framework for how it will negotiate devolution deals with counties and what powers it's willing to devolve. So far, little’s been said about how ‘county deals’ will work, beyond a set of basic principles. 

This report, published by the Institute for Government in partnership with the County Councils Network and Grant Thornton UK LLP, says that such a framework should be included in the long-awaited levelling up white paper, expected this month. It also recommends county areas make an effort to show how their proposals will lead to more decisive and accountable local leadership. 

Between October and November 2021, the Local Government Association conducted a survey of councils in England to find out how important in-person council meetings are when it comes to local decision-making. Three quarters of the councils surveyed thought that councillor attendance had been lower since returning to in-person meetings and the same number felt that attendance by members of the public had also decreased in the move away from virtual platforms. 84% felt that a return to exclusively in-person meetings is a negative step for local democracy.

The UK Democracy Fund launched three new reports at their London conference last week. 'Making votes at 16 Work in Wales' is the result of a research collaboration led by Dr. Christine Huebner at Nottingham Trent University. It found that young people in Wales faced a range of barriers to turning out to vote in the 2021 Senedd election and suggests policy recommendations to overcome these. 

‘The democratic participation of ethnic minority and immigrant voters in the UK’, written by Professor Maria Sobolewska and Dr. Andrew Barclay, takes a deep dive into ethnic minorities and immigrants living in the UK, in relation to registering to vote and turning up for elections. 

Finally, ‘Closing the Gap: Engaging the missing millions in electoral participation’ offers insights in how to ensure all citizens are engaging in democracy.