We held two Preview evenings in April 2017 where we invited Kirklees citizens to be the first to hear some of the findings of the Kirklees Democracy Commission. This is the presentation that we shared during these events.

1. What should local democracy
be like in Kirklees?

2. What we’re doing
We're working with citizens and others
to shape what a strong and healthy
local democracy will look like in Kirklees
for the next generation and beyond.

3. This evening we will…
Give you an introduction to the work of
the Kirklees Democracy Commission
Share some of what we’ve learned so far
and…

4. Give you a chance to send a short video or
audio message to all our councillors
Talk over some of our recommendations,
including practical ways you can get involved
Answer your questions

5. Who we are

6. Our mission...
“By 2020 Kirklees is an informed citizen-led democracy
with accountable elected representatives
who enable communities to influence and affect
decisions governing their lives.”

7. Key themes
Councillors
The role of councillors in a representative and participatory democracy
Elections
Elections and the electoral cycle
Decision-making
Governance, accountability and decision-making

8. Key themes
Active citizens
We’re all part of civic society
Networked society
Digital technologies and local networks
Regional devolution
How do the different levels of democracy connect?

9. What’s happened so far
July to August 2016 – Local democracy roadshows
September to October 2016 – Public inquiries
November to December 2016 – Group discussions
January to February 2017 – Deliberations
March to April 2017 – Report writing & Sharing our ideas

10. We’ve heard evidence from 1,000 people
● 88 people took part in our local democracy roadshow events across Kirklees.
● We met with the Kirklees Youth Council, Huddersfield University Students
Union, partner organisations and other groups.
● 43 witnesses gave evidence during our public inquiries.
● 318 members of the Kirklees e-panel shared their views.
● 441 Kirklees Council staff shared their views.
● We heard from councillors and political groups in Kirklees.
● We visited other councils to learn from their experiences.
● We received comments in writing, by email, via social media & via our web site.

11. What we learned from citizens

12. What you said about councillors
● You value councillors, but many of you have little or
no direct contact with councillors - you’d like more.
● You want more information about who councillors
are, what they do and how to get in touch.
● Experiences of local councillors are inconsistent.
● Councillors can help to strengthen our local
communities, by working with active citizens.
● Few people are interested in becoming a councillor.

13. What else we’ve learned
● The role of councillor is changing – councillors are enablers,
change makers, problem solvers, connectors & much more.
● Support for councillors is out-of-step with these changes.
● There’s a lot of misunderstanding and confusion about
what councillors do and what they are responsible for.
● Both the council and political parties must do more to
attract the next generation of councillors.
● We need to consider both price & value of representation.

16. ● You’re frustrated that other people don’t vote.
● We need to improve people’s understanding of the
local political system and its importance.
● You’d like the voting system to be fairer and think
it’s important to get the best people into the council.
● You’d like to be able to vote in as many ways, and in
as many places, as possible.
● There’s no consensus on changing our election cycle.
What you said about elections

17. What else we’ve learned
● Elections are increasing in frequency, type and complexity.
● Electoral law is “complex, voluminous and fragmented”.
● Outreach work to encourage registration is important.
● Voters are motivated by having a competitive choice of
candidates and by feeling that their vote matters.
● Running elections is challenging in terms of accessibility,
security, voter confidence, cost and practicalities.
● We should make it easy for young citizens to be registered.

20. ● You want decisions to be made as locally as possible.
● We need to build trust with citizens by strengthening
our communication networks and channels.
● Public consultation has become meaningless.
● You want more involvement in decision-making and
ways of measuring what is (or isn’t) working.
● Civic education is important – much more is needed.
● Decisions shouldn’t just involve “the usual suspects”.
What you said about decisions

21. What else we’ve learned
● We need to build continuous relationships with citizens,
instead of consultations as one-off, tokenistic exercises.
● People want to know the HOW of decisions, not just WHAT.
● We need to involve people in the whole decision journey.
● We need to value the knowledge of our citizens.
● We must be better at telling the local democratic story in a
way that’s engaging, human, relevant & in clear language.
● Our meetings culture should be more open and welcoming.

24. Active citizens
Active citizens are the key to
building a vibrant local democracy.
This involves informal participation,
community activity, informing
decisions, campaigning, engaging
with public services, petitioning,
protesting and having a real stake
in the place that you live, visit or
are employed in.

25. The networked society
The networked society has much
to offer local democracy. Citizens
are using the internet as a place to
collaborate and network for civic
good. Technology enables ordinary
citizens to get their voices heard.
It’s important for citizens and
councillors to have the skills and
confidence to be active online.

26. Regional devolution
Regional devolution is an ongoing
journey with a future that is as yet
unclear. Our focus is on what we
can do in Kirklees to maximise the
opportunities. We want to see an
emphasis on democratic
accountability and legitimacy.
We need the different levels of
democracy to connect.

27. Our evidence
All our evidence is available for you to
look at and explore, on our web site:
www.democracycommission.org.uk/our-evidence

28. In the break…
Is there one thing you want to say
to Kirklees councillors about what
local democracy should be like?
Now’s your chance…

29. Group discussion themes
• Young citizens:
The future of our local democracy
• An informed local democracy:
Creating and sharing better democratic content
• Valuing our citizens:
A different approach to consultation
• Getting to know councillors:
Who they are, what they do
• Networked citizenship:
Connecting residents, organisations and businesses

30. Question and Answer session

31. What’s happening next
Full Council meeting – 10th May 2017
All Kirklees Councillors will debate the draft Kirklees
Democracy Commission report at a full Council meeting.
You can follow the live webcast.
Launch event – 30th June 2017
We’ll be promoting our work more widely, starting with
a public launch event. Then the practical work begins…

32. Keep in touch
You can follow us on twitter
@kirkdemocracy
Contact us at
kirkleesdemocracy@gmail.com