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Elections Action Pack | Intro

The local elections are close and this is the time to pick up public interest and carry it right through to the General Election.

It’s time to harness the despair and feelings of betrayal, to re-establish democracy and give people the power and influence.

This pack gives you everything you need in one place to take action to build connections with local people and groups on local issues.

Educate, inform and engage them in Community Assemblies and deliberative democracy in the build-up for the General Election.


Feel like today's politics keeps you in the dark and feeds you bullshit - then think Community Assembly

Imagine we’re like a Wood Wide Web

A social ecosystem connected through common needs, shared resources and a desire to flourish.

Tree and Mushroom Roots Graphic.png

The Mycleia Network is a shared economy, where ecosystems flourish without greed. The mycelium underfoot ensures their close-by neighbours have the resources (nutrients, water, etc.) they need to flourish. But they also have formed ways to distribute nutrients across their entire network.

This video [1.5 mins] shows how Community Assemblies connect us.

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mushroom

Landscape

Elections will take place for councils and mayors in England, for police and crime commissioners in England and Wales and London Assembly on the 2nd May.

There are no local elections in Scotland or Northern Ireland for 2024.

The Communities Assemblies Escalation Plan is part of the 2024 XRUK Action’s Strategy to upgrade democracy.

As soon as the date for the General Election is announced, this pack will be updated.

Local elections have 3 levels of significance...

  1. Local government have key responsibilities for the environment. This is a chance for voters to hold them to account for their failure to protect us and our planet.

  2. Many MPs are standing down at the next election due to, amongst other things, changes in the electoral boundaries. It’s time to show the strength of public feeling to those seeking to replace them. Register to vote

  3. They will be the last elections before the general election so will be a litmus test of voters’ feelings, particularly in marginal, blue, red walls and target seats.

Why Local Issues Matter

This year’s local elections provide opportunities to:

  • Mobilise local communities by focusing on local issues through assemblies
  • Cement the alliances that have already been built with like-minded organisations and groups
  • Build coalitions by meeting people where they’re at and find common causes with a broad range of groups
  • Keep up the pressure on local candidates by inviting them to respond!

Demand that all candidates commit to:

Declaring a climate and nature emergency
Involving communities via deliberative assemblies in decision making about issues that matter most to them
Being led by the outcomes of the assemblies

So, let’s get going!

Here are three questions to help you to get started
  1. Is there an election in your area? Use the VoteClimate Local Elections Finder or view them on a map.
  2. What is your council’s performance on the climate emergency scorecard? Use My Society and the climate action score rating websites to find out.
  3. Have your constituency boundaries changed? They will be of particular interest to the media as they could indicate the outcome of the next General Election.  Look for the key battleground seats analysis on the VoteClimate website.

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