Improving citizen involvement through e-democracy

Stephen Hilton

Connecting Bristol

Bristol City Council

Bristol’s location

About Bristol

• 8th largest city in England and Wales

• Population: 393,900

• 8.2% Black and Ethnic Minority residents

• Students: 25,600

• Highest GDP in UK outside London

Council’s engagement history

• Long-established disability and equalities forums, scrutiny and select committees

• Public forum space at meetings

• Bristol Citizens Panel set up in 1998 – made up of 2000 residents

• Consultation strategy agreed in 2001

Consultation Strategy: Agreed 2001

“Bristol City Council is committed to open and inclusive local government and to using a wide range of approaches to public consultation to ensure it listens effectively and considers the views of its citizens as part of its decision-making with the aim of ensuring its policies and services reflect the aspirations and needs of Bristol's diverse communities.”

Why e-democracy?

• Traditional methods of engagement mainly attractive to older, retired, white, middle class

• To broaden input into local decision-making processes by making it easier

• To create ongoing links with citizens• Evolve techniques of engagement to

meet changing customer demands

From top-down to grassroots

• Interactive webcasting• Multimedia consultation• Local issues forums• Campaign Creator• E-panel• E-petitions• Online surveys• Consultation Finder

2008

2000

Consultation Finder

• A database of past, present and forthcoming consultations

• Searchable by area of interest and ward • Departmental editors add their own

information• Allows publishing of results and feedback• Currently being redeveloped to share with

partner agencies

E-petitions

• Way for people to gather support for issues online

• Often comes with discussion forum for each online petition

• Petitioner encouraged to provide background information, photos, links

• Creates a central space for all petition details• Encourages feedback

Feedback & Action

• Recycling plastics – a lot more recycling points, cardboard collections but still no doorstep plastics collections

• Banksy – one of highest supported petitions. Much loved street artist’s picture kept for now

• Castle park – petition against development over part of the park. New plans being drawn up

Webcasting

Webcasting

• European funded eParticipate project through eTen programme

• 2-year project with partners in Czech, Slovakia, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Denmark & France

• Aim is to increase citizen participation by 25% - currently low public turn out at most meetings

Benefits

• Easier access to council meetings plus meetings archived for six months

• Better public understanding of what the council does – humanises councillors

• Easier to get involved and follow through consultations or engagement activities

• Can webcast events, training and ceremonies as well as meetings giving greater awareness / participation in other cultural and civic events

Joining up e-participation

• Second European funded project called Legese - “Easing participation in legislative processes”

• Funded through eParticipation programme• Aims to help improve understanding of and

involvement in the local implementation of European policies

• Local authority partners in Czech republic (Wysocina) and Ireland (Fingal)

Legese in Bristol

• Brings together e-petitions, e-consultation, e-forums and webcasting on one website

• Linked with Climate Change Select Committee – Bristol working to become a Green Capital

Bringing it all together

askbristol.com

• E-participation portal for Bristol• Provides access to Consultation Finder, e-

petitions, webcasting and Viewfinder• Central point of access – prevents need to

publicise multiple websites• Branding and cross-referencing throughout

the site• Improving partnership working so that

resource for the city, not just the council

Some facts and figures

• Around 40,000 signatures on 100 e-petitions - over 9,500 signatures on highest supported e-petition

• Nearly 7,000 unique webcast viewers since October – State of the City debate attracted 1,200 views

• Climate change discussions attracted 145 comments from 77 participants – around 3,000 views of the discussion

What’s next?

• Connecting Bristol and the DC10plus - focus on Digital Inclusion and innovation

• Citizenscape – EU funded project under eParticipation – evolutionary step forward to incorporate Web 2.0

Find out more

• Stephen Hilton

Email: stephen.hilton@bristol.gov.uk

• www.askbristol.com

• www.bristol.gov.uk/edemocracy

• www.connectingbristol.org

Workshop Questions

Are e-petitions the “killer application” of e-democracy or are they simply a “blunt

instrument”?

Should authorities stop thinking in terms of “e-democracy tools” and start thinking about

multi-media “democracy channels”?