Convenors: Dr Colin Copus (c.m.copus@bham.ac.uk), Prof Steve Leach (snleach@dmu.ac.uk), Dr Alistair Clark (a.j.clark@qub.ac.uk)

Administrator: Janet Plowman (j.a.plowman@bham.ac.uk)

Partners:

De Montfort University (Leach)
Electoral Reform Society
Local Government Information Unit
Demos

Funder: Economic and Social Research Council

Project aims

The government’s modernising agenda for local government (Detr, 1998, a and b, Detr, 1999, Dtlr, 2001 and ODPM, 2005) aims to draw councils and communities closer together by enhancing the transparency and visibility of political decision-making, improving local political accountability, facilitating a new generation of local political leaders and creating the conditions by which local politics and councils are responsive to, and more engaged with, local citizens.

Yet the government’s approach was lacking in rigorous analysis of how political parties conducted their activities, organised to carry out council business, or how parties and councillors interpreted concepts such as democracy, representation, accountability and citizen participation. Academic research has focused on the relationship between local government and parties, to explore the affects parties have on local political representation and decision-making and on the provision of local political leadership. Academics have asked whether parties are the only legitimate vehicle through which the views of the citizen can be transferred into policy or, are the only legitimate mechanism for selecting local political representatives (Copus, 2004, Leach and Wilson, 2000, Rao, 2000). The seminar addresses and explores the role of political parties in local government.

It provides a forum to exchange and develop knowledge, experience, concepts, theories and practice about the nature of the relationship between political parties and local democracy and government and to consider comparative developments in local politics.

The seminar series aims to:

• Bring together academics, researchers, local government practitioners (councillors, party activities and council officers), local government organisations, policy bodies and central government, to explore party politics at the local level
• Present, disseminate and consider the findings of research into, and experience of, local party politics
• Critically review and evaluate current party practices in the conduct of local politics and council affairs
• Introduce a European perspective to the consideration of British party politics by involving academics and practitioners from Europe
• Provide local and central government policy-makers with clear alternatives for the development of party political activity in local government and promote a productive dialogue on these alternatives
• Stimulate and sustain interest and learning in new ways of conducting local politics through political parties
• Produce key academic and practitioner publications from the series

Programmes

Seminar 1: Mapping Local Government Futures for Political Parties
18 January 2007, De Montfort University, Leicester

Seminar 2: New Local Voting: Impact and Lessons for Political Parties
28 June 2007, Local Government Information Unit

Seminar 3: Minor Parties and Citizen Perspectives
25 October 2007, INLOGOV, University of Birmingham

Seminar 4: The Local Politician: Developing Roles, Responsibilities and Patterns of Political Recruitment
28 February 2008, Electoral Reform Society

Outputs

Seminar 1: Mapping Local Government Futures for Political Parties
18 January 2007, De Montfort University, Leicester

Seminar 2: New Local Voting: Impact and Lessons for Political Parties
28 June 2007, Local Government Information Unit

Seminar 3: Minor Parties and Citizen Perspectives
25 October 2007, INLOGOV, University of Birmingham

Seminar 4: The Local Politician: Developing Roles, Responsibilities and Patterns of Political Recruitment
28 February 2008, Electoral Reform Society