What we’re reading 01/12/10
Yesterday we mentioned the launch of Online Networked Neighbourhoods which looks at the effect that hyperlocal sites are having on community identity and social capital in and around London. Now you can read David Wilcox’s multimedia report of the event.
This interesting video from the Guardian explores the idea of businesses stepping in to help fund community projects in Frome that have been worst affected by local government cutbacks.
Political party funding comes from too narrow a base for a healthy democracy according to new research from the LSE which shows that the top three parties rely on attracting an average of just ten or eleven large donations a year between them from a tiny group of rich people, plus a few companies and large trade unions. They argue that this makes party finances dangerously unsustainable as well as raising questions about fairness and independence.
LGiU - the local democracy blog 