Mr Speaker and #LocalGov Digital

 “The challenge is how we reconcile traditional concepts and institutions of representative democracy with the technical revolution which we have witnessed over the past decades or two which has created both the demand for and an opportunity to establish a digital democracy.  Quietly, over past decades, a radically different world has emerged which in time will make the industrial revolution seem minor” - Mr Speaker to the Hansard Society 27 November 2013, Towards a 21^st Century Parliament

(Full transcript of the speech here)

Sometimes don’t you find that the planets just seem to line up perfectly.  On 10 December the LocalGov Digital Steering Group will celebrate its one year(ish) birthday.  Indeed a cause for celebration.  Its Chair @carlhaggerty has deservedly received the Guardian’s Public Service Leadership Excellence Award *cheers*.  Speaker Bercow shines a light on Parliament and raises the profile of an issue that means an awful lot to some of us – democracy in a digital age.  Oh, and I almost forgot to mention the Rewiring Local Democracy work stream of LocalGov Digital will be launched on 10 December *tips hat to @Localopolis*.  Nothing big or fancy at the moment, but all of a sudden it seems a little more relevant.  About time some might say

“For representative democracy to thrive it has to evolve and there has to be a step change improvement in its responsiveness to the electorate and the country at large.”

As a digital democracy advocate, and a fully paid up member of the local government club, I personally welcome the widening out of the debate.  The bedrock and heart of local government is its democratic mandate and democratic legitimacy.  The challenges we face in local government, the lessons we are learning and the innovation that is taking place is relevant to the work of the Speaker’s Commission on Digital Democracy.  That said, the real challenge, for the Commission and local councils, is to ensure the focus is on citizen engagement, participation and involvement in the breadth of democracy and the processes that underpin it.  As @curiousc has said before it’s more than councillors (politicians) using Twitter.  The Steering Group believe that local public services must be Open by Default  -Digital by Design, relevant considerations for the Commission’s work.

Officers and elected councillors have done some great work over recent years to test, challenge and embrace digital – the learning is relevant and transferrable.  As Speaker Bercow says, it is important that the work of the Commission is “seen outside of Zone One of the London Underground Network”.  Couldn’t agree more.

It is for this reason that the Steering Group will proactively seek to inform the work of the Commission either directly or as part of public hearings and calls for evidence.  Watch this space.

The End of an Era?

The Beginning

This is a very personal post that just had to be written.  It is intended for an audience of two.  I have just returned form the LGA Conference where I have been doing more of the councillor / social media stuff which I've blogged about in the past.  This post is not about that.

This post is about two gents who I have had the good fortune to work with over the last three years.    Thanks to Ken Eastwood having the foresight to put a councillor / social media session on at LocalGov Camp Yorkshire and the Humber I met Councillors Tim Cheetham and Simon Cooke.  Since then we have worked together across the region trying to raise the profile and discussion around all things democratic and social media.  They have both visited the Council I work for to help me spread the word.  Our work together has been captured and shared here. 

The End?

Here's my take on Simon and Tim.  Ideologically they probably couldn't be much further apart, but they have quite a few things in common.  They are passionate about being a councillor, they genuinely believe in representing their communities and making a difference.  They want to be representatives in a digital age and they want to support their colleagues on that journey.  They are very funny and have a unique sort of chemistry.  All this I have observed.

For reasons which aren't really material to this post I think today may be the last time that all three of us will collaborate.  As Simon tweeted as we chatted over lunch - it had a bit of an end of an era feeling.  If that's the case perhaps it's fitting we ended on the national stage at the LGA Conference.

As an officer it goes with my territory that relationships with councillors remain professional, neutral and independent.  I think I kept my part of the bargain over the last three years.  That said I think I can also say that we worked well together and genuinely got on - this is a good thing and something I look back on with great pride.  So this is my chance to say thanks, it was a real blast.

Networked Cllrs - Some Initial Thoughts

What better way to end my hiatus from blogging than to reflect back on a Round Table discussion I was invited to attend today to discuss The Networked Cllr research piece.  The session was facilitated by the report author Catherine Howe (@curiousc) who was joined by a cracking panel of experts from across the sector - officers and councillors alike.

On a general note I feel the report has provided a bit of a hallelujah moment in that it has empirically and anecdotally given some real traction to areas which some of us have seen as really important for some time.  I've banged on in the past about councillors and social media and, along with others tried to do my bit to raise the profile of the importance of local representative democracy in a digital age.  All worthy stuff but there has always been a need for an evidence base to move us forward beyond what we intuitively thought was the right path.  I think we now have a sound platform from which to build as the report moves through its next iteration.  Comments and views are welcomed on the report and I would encourage you to inform the work as it develops.

In terms of my reflections, I'll start with some grumbles and then finish with some positives.

• Officers, Are You Helping or Hindering? - As a fully paid up member of the officer club I get little satisfaction from reporting that we could really do a lot better to support the development of Networked Cllrs.  Over two years ago when we were doing the CllrSocMed sessions in Yorkshire and The Humber there were a number of themes which emerged in all sessions.  One in particular was the reluctance of officers in IT to open up access to social media and the other was the inherent need for officers to develop codes, protocols and rules that councillors should abide by.  I am an officer who understands that an implicit part of my role is to protect councillors but I cannot ignore evidence that indicates in so doing we are putting barriers in the way of councillors embracing opportunities and potential benefits.  I'll probably look at this in more detail in another post, particularly in terms of the need for a different support model for councillors that is better equipped to tackle these thorny issues.

• Councillors, Are You Leading the Debate? - This grumble follows on nicely from the one above.  Councillors have the solutions to the real and perceived officer barriers at their fingertips.  They take the decisions, have a fundamental role in setting priorities and the culture of the councils they are members of.  If we accept that councillors need the IT tools for the job, access to social media and a support model that facilitates the development of the Networked Councillor then come on councillors start saying that these things are important within your own councils.  Surely a climate where councillors are the best and most effective they can be is one that benefits local residents, the council and, dare I say it, officers.

Moving swiftly on, some observations on parts of the report and todays discussion:

• The Case is Compelling - democratic participation is declining, election turnout figures demonstrate this.  On-line participation and accessibility  is growing.  There is a compelling case to connect these two issues for the benefit of local democracy.  Whilst not the panacea, the Networked Cllr concept is a powerful enabler.

• It's Not About Twitter - I am heartened that there is an increasing number of councillors getting more social media savvy - this is good.  I am even more encouraged that we are, hopefully, moving away from discussions about the tools and beginning to focus on the skills and etiquette of elected representatives operating in digital spaces.  A lot of todays discussion was about being effective in those spaces as opposed to "how do I use Twitter?" or "why should I bother?"  

• Identity and Reputation Are Important - whilst councillors do not want to be bound by rules and protocols (the existing ones suffice e.g. the National Code of Conduct) they are concerned about their identity and reputation in digital spaces.  In particular they want to better understand the rules of engagement in instances where they are interacting with "anonymous" users and those who are "challenging" - trolls.  I would hope that, as the Networked Cllr work progresses, thought is given to striking a balance between equipping councillors with the confidence and support to be effective whilst not binding them with protocols or frightening them off completely.

• Communicative, Collaborative, Co-Productive - I particularly like the way in which the report findings begin to explore the ways in which a Networked Cllr can be active in digital spaces.  The 3Cs provide a really helpful framework for addressing some of the issues raised above whilst also having the fluidity to ensure that councillors are not pigeon holed.  If I understand the concept correctly the 3Cs are inter-changeable and used as appropriate to particular circumstances.  They also provide helpful context around which to consider and construct development.

• Networked - Finally, one message was loud and clear.  Networked is not just about digital.  If a councillor is not networked off-line then chances are that he/she wont pull it off on-line.  This is perhaps obvious, but very true.  We mustn't forget this.

I'm sure there is much more to share, but plenty of time as the discussion will continue - join in if you haven't already

Councillor - You've Been Warned

By chance I came across an article in the Independent yesterday with the headline - Councillor, 18, Gets Facebook Warning.  OK, lets unpick this one before I let my biased views come spilling through.

Lets look at the facts.  We have a young councillor - this is good.  We have a councillor who is a user of social media - this is good.  We have a council that rightly wants to manage its reputation and support a new councillor in their new role - this is good.  

The problem is, none of these are the main features of the story.  The portrayal is one of a bureaucracy seeking to clip the wings of a new comer who might have some desires to use these social media gadgets to make "inappropriate comments". 

I think this cameo piece illustrates a lot of the challenges that forward thinking authorities and their councillors face.  The easy headline, which coincidentally portrays the councillor and the local authority in a less than positive light, perpetuates a climate where both retreat into a place that hinders innovation, engagement and dialogue using new media.

Bit of a shame really.  Lots of work still to do then.

Linked Posts:

Cllrs - Why Bother?

On- Line Councillor of the Year
Councillors! Here's How Not to do Twitter

Democratic Digital Engagement - A Blueprint for Local Government?

Democracy Dude

This post was born across the Twittersphere - an appropriate product of the social media age given the subject matter.  Social media facilitated off-line contact between two (as it turns out) like minds.

Anyone who is interested in local democracy, the role of councillors, decision making and forward thinking practice in terms of democratic engagement should follow Dave McKenna (@localopolis).  I did and have nothing but admiration for the work he and colleagues are doing at Swansea.

We have developed a dialogue over the last few months, a dialogue based on our shared passion for local democratic legitimacy and the opportunities that social media presents. Our on-line dialogue very recently progressed to a telephone conversation where we kicked about a few ideas (and our shared liking for New Model Army) and loosely agreed to do something, but we weren't sure what. 


Three e-mail conversations (and much work by  Dave) later we agreed to share what we have so far.  We have tried to take our passions, interests and day jobs and try and set out some ways in which this whole local democracy thing can be made, well, more engaging, exciting and meaningful to local people.  As we pinged e-mails back and forth the challenge was clearly where to stop (should we present our views in the context of the Localism Bill, what about local politics, what are the implications for officers?...).

We came to the conclusion that the best thing would be to share our initial thoughts in their raw form to, hopefully, stimulate a discussion.  Presented below is the fruits of our on-line and off-line labours. It is a first pass at "Five Essential Features of Local Digital Democracy"

What is Local Digital Democracy?

§  Local digital democracy means using social media to make a bridge between the formal world of local politics and the real world of real people

§  It means being clear that local government is not just about services – it has a distinct and important democratic role with elected local councillors at its heart

§  It means recognising that the world is changing.  Social media is changing the way the world works – local democracy needs to catch up

§  It means recognising that local democracy needs stronger citizen engagement

§  It means building from the traditional ways of doing things and using online tools to make them work better and reach more people

Why Local Digital Democracy is Good for Everyone

• The council as a whole is more effective, innovative and efficient  - it helps employees get better connected with decision making and each other 
• The reputation of the council is improved both internally and externally
• Councillors can raise their individual profiles and get their messages across more effectively
• Improved citizen engagement makes for better policy development and decision making 
• Citizens learn more about their elected councillors and can hold them to account better
• Councillors will have better information and intelligence about the patches they represent.  Better informed councillors can lead the debate in their communities and in the council. 
• Councillors can make better decisions by getting the right information at the right time
• Councillors can reach more of their constituents quickly and easily
• Citizens can quickly and easily find information about the decisions that affect their community and the issues that they are concerned about
• Officers can conduct research more quickly and easily saving them time and the council resources
• Young people are provided with a greater opportunity to engage with the democratic process on their terms
• Local politics can reach a wider audience and encouraging more people to vote and maybe even consider public office - local digital democracy can help attract the next generation of councillors and this will definitely be online!

  

The Five Essential Features of Local Digital Democracy

1.         Online Councillors

• Whether blogging, tweeting or facebooking, councillors are the human element of the local democratic process – local digital democracy won’t work without ‘em
• Councillors have democratic legitimacy through elections – their participation gives online democracy legitimacy
• Councillors will need skills, knowledge and tools to be key players in democratic digital engagement.  They will therefore need support from their Councils
• Social media can help local political parties to work more effectively by improving internal and external communiciatons
• Check out ….. to see what is already happening…  CllrSocmed

2.         Social Council Decision Making

• Agendas, minutes and reports tell the story of local democratic deliberation and decision making but the way they are presented and organised makes engagement close to impossible to all but the most dedicated
• By breaking everything down into bitesize chunks, like status updates or tweets, it becomes possible to share, tag and comment.
• Bitesize chunks can also be made transportable so they can be used on whatever social media platform people are using
• You can find some more thinking along these lines at Localopolis

  

3.         Social Council Meetings

• Council meetings are the live action of the local democratic process
• Live tweeting and blogging brings the action from council meetings to a wider audience
• Social media interaction can facilitated to allow online citizens to feedback and ask questions
• Engagement through social media may be the first step to observation and even participating in person
• See the Kirklees experience

4.         Social Local Elections

• Local elections are the most dramatic aspect of the local democratic process but campaigns can be lost in the traditional media in the noise of national politics
• Digital engagement can create spaces, such as online hustings, for local campaign issues to be aired and debated and for candidates to promote their campaigns
• Digital engagement also provides a way for election teams to raise awareness of the elections and encourage higher levels of registration and turnout
• Having social media elections, with social media candidates, who become social media councillors helps a wider group of people make the connection between the ballot box, the individual and their role as community leader and decision maker
• You can find an example here from Calgary

5.         A Local Digital Democracy Community

• Digital engagement in local democracy is not the same as engagement in local government – often this is seen as being just about delivering services
• The promoting of citizenship and online local democracy through initiatives such as Local Democracy Week (I’m a councillor get me out of here) needs a distinctive identity both locally and nationally
• Every local area has a digital ecosystem that can be cultivated and supported – someone needs to be making sure everything works together to produce the best results
• Local councils should take the lead locally and act as local democratic hubs, organisations such as the LGA and LGIU need to take the lead nationally
• National social media platforms, such as the Knowledge Hub can provide the platform for a national democratic community to share good practice and ideas

Themes

Underlying local digital democracy are five themes that help the local digital ecosystem to flourish and need to guide those involved:

§  Connectability – Everything needs to be designed so that it connects to everything else (widgets, links, transportability)

§  Customisability – Everything needs to be set up so people can decide who and what they want to engage with

§  Sociability  - Effective digital engagement will require a whole new language for those involved in the local policy process – the arcane language of council meetings won’t work on facebook.  It also means putting real people at the front of engagement, not functions, teams or meetings.

§  Accessibility – Not everyone is online and not every online person ‘does’ social media.  This means both ensuring that non digital remain effective and that opportunities and encouragement are there for those ‘new starters’ that want to engage

§  Openness – This means both being willing to share information and ideas at all stages but also ensuring that there is clarity, honesty and realism about engagement so that there are no false expectations, and clear   

I Blame the Officers

Last week saw the last of our social media sessions for councillors.  It was a great finish in Leeds where we had a cracking group of enthusiastic and interested councillors from across the region.  Full details of those sessions can be found at Cllrsocmed.  


Over the course of the five sessions there was one theme that was coming out loud and clear - the officers are the problem.  Now let's make it clear, I am a fully paid up member of the officer corps and have worked with councillors a long time.  The officer / councillor dynamic is no different to any relationship, it's complex, multi-faceted and often subjective.


That said, the majority of the councillors who attended our sessions were clearly of the mind that their organisations and their officers were barriers to progressing their social media journey.  It gives me no satisfaction to say that IT, Web, Comms and Democratic Services all came in for some degree of criticism.  Problems ranged from the outright banning of social media, to the lack of developmental support and the provision of tools (telephony in particular) that were not up to the job.  Whilst councillors did not want to be spoon fed, they did want a degree of importance placed on this whole agenda by their own organisations.  The word "culture" cropped up a few times and I think this is important.


I am pretty sure that organisational culture is not entirely determined by its officers.  It is for this reason we turned these discussions back to the councillors in the room.  They and their councillor colleagues provide the political leadership, they take the decisions.  Perhaps they have a considerable role in what happens next on their social media journey.  I got the feeling that some of those councillors intended to take the discussions back into their organisations and affect the necessary cultural change.  I hope so.  Through Cllrsocmed we are hoping to keep in touch with those councillors and find out "what happens next".  Watch this space.