Fearless Cities: Building our power as a multitude
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Fearless Cities: Building our power as a multitude

This is Part 2 of Research for Action’s blog and podcast series based on Fearless Cities, a summit we co-organised in November 2024. The three blogs explore challenging racism, confronting ecological collapse and - in the blog below - sharing power and resources. Economic inequality is rampant worldwide, fuelled by decades of neoliberalism that have further elevated the ultra-rich elites to capture mainstream politics and hoard power. This system glorifies individualism and breeds greed. In Britain, it props up class power with its roots in medieval feudalism and its fingerprints all over colonialism. Fearless Cities in Sheffield set out how... [continues]
Co-operation at the cutting edge – two perspectives
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Co-operation at the cutting edge – two perspectives

Cooperation seems to be an idea whose time has come for grassroots movements in the UK. Drawing on the Fearless Cities summit session: ‘Building autonomy through a cooperative economy’, we share two interviews with people doing cooperation beyond the traditional worker/housing cooperative form. Cooperation Town and Co-operation Manchester. What does cooperation mean to people right now? What are the relationships between the theory and practice of cooperatives and other tools for organising, like citizens' assemblies and mutual aid groups?   First, we invite you to listen to an interview with Shiri Shalmy, who helped set up Cooperation Town, a movement... [continues]
Summer News: governance upheavals, audit reform saga, how you can help our research
Posted inAudit and Accountability Councils in Crisis Current Newsletters Projects

Summer News: governance upheavals, audit reform saga, how you can help our research

Dear friends and followers,  Summer is in full swing and there’s lots happening in the world of local democracy. Here are some of the most recent news from Research for Action and friends, and a call for help with our current research…Government wants to abolish the committee system - against the will of Sheffield residents In June, the government announced its intent to ‘simplify’ governance arrangements for local authorities in England, effectively forcing all councils to transition to the leader and cabinet model. It said that the alternative, the committee system, ‘can be unclear, duplicative, and wasteful, leading to slower, less... [continues]
Sheffield democracy campaigners respond to Government intention to overturn their governance referendum
Posted inAudit and Accountability Citizen Auditors Councils in Crisis Current Guest blog

Sheffield democracy campaigners respond to Government intention to overturn their governance referendum

On 24th June, the government announced its intent to ‘simplify’ governance arrangements for local authorities in England. The proposed legislation would force all councils to transition to the leader and cabinet model, stating that the alternative, the committee system, ‘can be unclear, duplicative, and wasteful, leading to slower, less efficient decision-making’.  We at Research for Action have heard from councillors that strong leader models of local governance are more centralised, leading to the marginalisation of backbench councillors and thus are often less democratic. Generally, we have strong reservations about the upcoming English Devolution actually leading to further centralisation of power... [continues]