Since 2018 Newham Council has been holding community assemblies and forums on different topics and has been stating its intention to become a “beacon of participatory democracy.” Great! You may say. That sounds good, but what exactly does participatory democracy mean?

When we talk about democracy, we usually think of political parties and voting in elections to decide who gets to be our Prime Minister, local mayor or councillors. This is known as Representative democracy where every adult can vote for their choice of government. This system definitely has its pluses but one of its downsides is that once we’ve voted we no longer feel able to make an impact on our everyday lives.

Participatory democracy on the other hand is about people getting directly involved in decision making. It’s about different kinds of forums where people can share opinions, have their voice heard and contribute to discussions that result in actions and policies. It’s about participating in the life of one’s nation, area or community at a much deeper level than voting every now and again.

This helps citizens gain a sense of responsibility and stewardship for their locality and world, People get a sense of bringing their aspirations to life, they learn from each other and start to feel more deeply rooted in their communities. Feeling heard makes people happy! Perhaps even more importantly the policies that come out of this are so much better because a diversity of viewpoints have been taken into account.

Participatory democracy is about leaders ‘doing with’ rather than ‘doing for’ or ‘doing to.’

Take for example Participatory Budgeting where an agency allocates a sum of money to local people to make collective decisions on exactly how that money is spent. People come together to discuss and decide on local projects and services they want and need rather than have officials decide for them.

In a Community or People’s Assembly (like the Community Neighbourhood Citizens Assemblies in Newham) people meet in person in their localities to set out priorities and recommendations. Local authorities then either implement these or respond to them in detail. These kinds of forums usually take place in person and can also be social events where neighbourhoods can get to know each other and work on local projects.

So does participatory democracy exist outside the sponsorship of institutions like local or national government? The answer is yes. Mutual aid groups sprang up to help the vulnerable affected by Covid, working on the sound principle that people know what’s best for their own communities. This can and does happen in other contexts. Housing associations, local businesses and voluntary services can get organised and hold their own forums, assemblies, neighbourhood planning groups and take action.

At some level we’re all participating all the time. Our daily actions create the borough, the city and the world we live in. Both with and without the support of local authorities there’s a wealth of opportunity to make Newham a beacon of participatory democracy.

Where would you like to start to make an impact?

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.