Community involvement UK news 2009

2009


 * Government to publish "Civic Health" report from next year. The report will "collate in one place a wealth of national, regional and local data" so that active citizens and community groups will be able to see how their area compares to others on issues such as feelings of empowerment, levels of volunteering, and perceptions of community cohesion. 21 December


 * For the first time councils will be expected to respond to petitions and tell residents what action is going to be taken to address their concerns, 2 December A survey by the LGA found that only 28 per cent of councils guarantee an automatic response to petitions.


 * Government to consult on proposals to make data from Ordnance Survey freely available so it can be used for digital innovation and to support democratic accountability, 17 November Data relating to electoral and local authority boundaries as well as postcode areas would be released for free re-use, including commercially. Mid-scale digital mapping information would also be released in the same way. The Government will be running a public consultation on the proposals from December and any change would be implemented from April 2010. The highest-specification Ordnance Survey products and services - such as those used by property developers or the utility companies - would be charged for on a cost-reflective basis.


 * Legal threat closes postcode feed. Websites that help people find jobs or hospitals have been hit by legal action threatened by the Royal Mail. October 6  "...in effect a tax on innovation.” Jim Killock, Executive Director of the Open Rights Group See Community involvement UK for details of petition.


 * UK government invites developers to show government how to get the future public data site right - how to find and use public sector information, September 30


 * In the past year only 3 to 4 per cent had been involved in an actual decision affecting their community and less than a third (32 per cent) were aware of how to go about getting involved, September 23


 * House of Lords Committee report on how to create better connections between people and Parliament, July 15


 * Government outline next steps in their Power of Information programme. Minister announces plans for an overhaul of Crown Copyright rules that will make it easier for citizens to re-use Government information. May 7 “They say information is power, but only distributed information is truly empowering. That's why the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) [External website] has looked again at the restrictions of Crown Copyright, and now a licence will automatically be granted to anyone wanting to use the information rather than having to apply beforehand." Tom Watson MP topic


 * Local Government Minister John Healey writes to Council Chief Execs encouraging them to do all they can to support BIG LUNCH events in their area including giving the thumbs up to street closures and making dealing with any technical matters as smooth and straightforward as possible, April 24 To find out if there is a BIG LUNCH already organized in your area or for tips and information on how to organise your own street party visit www.thebiglunch.com


 * 'Big Energy Shift' consultation contains 3 "invitation only" events, yet prefaced with "We intend these to be... open consultation processes..." February 12


 * Only 39 per cent of people feel they can influence decisions affecting their local area. 22 per cent feel they could influence decisions affecting Great Britain, January 29 Both measures remain unchanged since 2007/08 but both have fallen since 2001. These findings come from the Citizenship Survey: April - September 2008 (covering the first two quarters of data from the 2008-09 survey).

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