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Fearless Cities Sheffield – programme released

The programme for Fearless Cities is out! We are thrilled that the municipalist summit we have been working on all year (with partners from Opus Independents, Citizen Network and European Municipalist Network) is now very near. Come join us in Sheffield 2-3 November for a weekend of discussion, learning and making new connections.  Here’s the programme: Fearless Cities programme v2Download Here is the web link for the programme, if that is easier. You can register from this link The summit, which aims to rethink local democracy through different themes, takes place over Saturday and Sunday, with fringe programme on Friday... [continues]
a crowd of people facing forward
Posted inCurrent Events Uncategorized

Open Call: Contributions wanted for the UK’s first Fearless Cities summit!

Dear friends from community and campaign groups, neighbourhoods, social movements,  We are delighted to announce that the Fearless Cities summit will be coming to the UK for the first time. It will take place in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, from 1-3 November.  There will soon be more information on the website: https://www.fearlesscitiessy.org/ Fearless Cities summits are at the heart of the ‘municipalist’ movement to bring about change at the local level by reclaiming the commons, feminising politics and reimagining democracy. They are places where we can share ideas and practices that build the structures for a better, more caring and democratic... [continues]
REPORT: Democratising Local Governance
Posted inDemocratising Governance Projects Publications Uncategorized

REPORT: Democratising Local Governance

  This report describes the findings from an action research project in Glasgow and Sheffield, which examined the relationships between local governance and local activism.  Together with project partners from Solidarity Against Neoliberal Extremism (SANE) and It’s Our City! in the respective cities, we spoke to local campaigners and community groups between November 2022 and January 2023. Participants from both cities – working on a diverse range of issues – identified common experiences, themes, and demands for a more democratic local governance, as well as the prospects for more collectivised action. We heard widely shared concerns about local democracy and... [continues]
2023 in review: and looking forward….
Posted inAudit and Accountability Citizen Auditors Current Democratising Governance Newsletters Projects Uncategorized

2023 in review: and looking forward….

As 2023 draws to a close, we wanted to share with you some highlights of Research for Action’s work. It has not been a great year for democracy - for example in local audit, which is one of the areas we work in, the UK Government has chosen not to deliver promised new legislation. But at the same time we are part of new and growing networks of people determined to do things differently. It has been a year of great collaboration with others who care about local democracy, be it project partners in Sheffield, Glasgow or Europe-wide, or the... [continues]
Open Letter on Audit Reform
Posted inAudit and Accountability Citizen Auditors Current Projects Uncategorized

Open Letter on Audit Reform

21st November 2023This letter was originally published in The Byline Times. We represent a range of organisations and individuals working on audit and accountability, local government and local democracy. We are deeply concerned about the current situation in local government audit. In October, a cross-party group of MPs and Peers wrote to the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, asking him not to drop audit reform. We are also alarmed at the Government has shelving long-promised audit legislation, with no mention of it in the King’s Speech on 7th November. We are concerned that a lack of primary legislation is continuing to... [continues]
REPORT: Local Audit: Why public interest needs to count
Posted inAudit and Accountability Current Projects Publications Uncategorized

REPORT: Local Audit: Why public interest needs to count

Local government in the UK is in a state of deep crisis. Shrinking of the state, centralisation of power and the hollowing out of the local state have decimated the sector. Local audit should be one of the central accountability mechanisms in a well-functioning democracy, but it is not working.  Current audit arrangements in England are failing to provide oversight and scrutiny at a time when it is particularly essential. Private interests overshadow public interests, the capacity for scrutiny and challenge at all levels has been reduced, and there is less openness and transparency in local government and audit since... [continues]
EVENT- Local Audit: Why Public Interest needs to count
Posted inAudit and Accountability Citizen Auditors Current Events Uncategorized

EVENT- Local Audit: Why Public Interest needs to count

Online Event -   Local Audit: Why Public Interest Needs to Count Weds 16th August, 7-8.30 pmPlease sign up for the event here How can we get better local government accountability from the ground up? Launch event and discussion for Research for Action’s new report Local audit in England is in a state of deep crisis. Multiple scandals of accountability have emerged, and ordinary people suffer. The current audit arrangements are failing to provide oversight and scrutiny at a time when it is particularly essential. Private interests overshadow public interests, the capacity for scrutiny and challenge at all levels has been reduced,... [continues]
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February newsletter: Audit delays, Grassroots democracy and more….

Dear friends, After a good Christmas break, the three of us and our various collaborators have been getting on with projects, plus co-op development and planning for the future.   Still waiting for Audit Reform This Spring we will be publishing our research into local audit and public interest, and how this arena could be improved, both in terms of upcoming legislation and more widely in cultures and mechanisms of accountability in local government.  The bigger picture isn’t good. There’s deepening frustration from all sectors - local government, auditors, regulators and MPs/Peers - over the continued absence of an Audit Reform... [continues]
Posted inCurrent Newsletters Uncategorized

Newsletter: Winter 2022/Annual Roundup

Dear friends of Research for Action, 2022 has been a year of major growth and change for us.We grew our work on public interest and audit, began a project with groups in Sheffield and Glasgow on democratising governance and deepened our work with the European Municipalist Network. We have developed as a worker co-op, adding a new member, Gloria Dawson, and a board member, Tim Joubert. We have also developed our mission, vision and values as well as the policies and procedures we need for our co-op to reflect our values, and we are proud of the progress we have made... [continues]
Posted inCurrent Newsletters Uncategorized

Newsletter: Autumn 2022

Dear newsletter readers,    We are very excited to say that we have just launched a report that showcases the work of various citizen auditors across England!  The publication, called ‘Citizen Auditors: investigating local government's accountability gap’ shows ways in which local groups and individuals are scrutinising their local authorities, challenging poor governance and decisions they believe are not in the public interest. It draws on the experiences of a network we have been coordinating this year. Citizen auditors are working on a wide range of issues relating to council spending, but also on challenging poor governance. We support each... [continues]