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21 October 2013

An Open Letter on Open Democracy

I've written here before on the topic of open democracy. In particular, on why we should make the workings of Leeds City Council available to residents through the audio and video recording of meetings.

Such openness is a relatively new idea.

Cameras and microphones can be scary things (it appears) for some Members, and the Council still has to formulate a policy on what it's going to do with journalists, students, bloggers and others who want not only to attend meetings but also report, comment and share what happens with audiences and varied communities of interest.

The waters have also been muddied by Eric Pickles. The Conservative former Bradford Council leader tried, 30 years ago, to drive through a raft of often controversial policies on the casting vote of a sometimes bemused Lord Mayor. Now on the Westminster stage as Communities Secretary he's thrown his considerable weight behind open access. Which is a good thing. But that support has inevitably politicised an issue which otherwise would be purely administrative, with some Labour supporters opposed to cameras in Council 'because Pickles wants it'.

The issue of access is to be discussed by the Council's General Purposes Committee on 28 October. What follows is a letter I drafted together with colleagues from the other Universities in Leeds who teach Journalism urging members to allow greater access. It's reproduced here in the same spirit.