Which Women Win? The 2015 English local elections This is a guest post by James Winterbotham, University of Exeter James Winterbotham is an undergraduate student of social sciences and data analysis at the University of Exeter. As part of a team working with... Posted 08 Mar 2016
Localism and devolution – ERS at Labour conference “Devolution is a hot topic,” said Jane Dudman, Guardian Public Leaders editor, who chaired the first of three ERS fringe events at Labour Party Conference 2015. The topic was: “can Labour reclaim devolution and localism?”... Posted 13 Oct 2015
Revealed: the cost of one-party councils If you’re reading this, you probably already know that First Past the Post hurts our democracy. But it might be hurting our pockets, too. Councils dominated by single parties could be wasting as much as... Posted 02 Oct 2015
Devolution needs democracy – politicians should back fair votes for local government Tomorrow the Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill has its Third Reading in the House of Lords – the final stage before it goes back to the Commons. It’s a Bill that will have a... Posted 20 Jul 2015
A Democratic Northern Powerhouse The Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill, currently making its way through the House of Lords, is the flagship legislation that is to allow the Northern Powerhouse to become a reality. It contains the government... Posted 09 Jul 2015
Don’t let fewer Welsh County Councils mean less democracy for Wales Today, Public Services Minister Leighton Andrews announces the new proposed map for Local Authorities in Wales, with plans to reduce the number of County Councils from 22 to 8 or 9. This follows the recent... Posted 17 Jun 2015
Election Cancelled – The Curse of Uncontested Seats There has been a shocking increase in the number of uncontested seats in some English councils up for election this May. The Eden District Council in Cumbria has already declared 21 of its 38 available... Posted 01 May 2015
Democratising Devo Manc The ERS has long campaigned for devolution to the local level, but the Society also campaigns for proportional representation at a local level. Here ERS Deputy Chief Executive Darren Hughes outlines why they should go hand... Posted 25 Feb 2015
The new rotten boroughs? How would you like to live in a one party state? You may wonder why anyone would ask given that this is the UK, not North Korea. After all, we can all vote tomorrow if... Posted 21 May 2014
38,000 denied a vote Tens of thousands of people across England are being denied a vote in next week’s local elections, owing to the undemocratic phenomenon of uncontested seats. In this year’s elections there are seven wards which are... Posted 16 May 2014