Salisbury Democracy Alliance

Tag: People’s Assembly,

  • SDA comes of age

    SDA makes successful presentation to Area Board

    The Alliance was able to report to the Salisbury Area Board on 3 July following the three successful People’s Assemblies we ran in the City. The response was on the whole positive and we did feel that we have made some progress in our quest to improve the manner in which decisions are made in the local political sphere.  We are grateful to Karen Linaker for her help in arranging for our presentation.

    Mark Potts presented the results of the three assemblies noting that around a 100 people attended at least one of the meetings and some all three.  It demonstrated a keen interest by people who were concerned and interested in the future of the City and wanted to be involved in what happened.

    There were two main types of consultation: DAD and EDD he said.  They stood for Decide – Announce – Defend and, Engage – Deliberate – Decide.  Unfortunately, there had been a tendency towards the former where people felt proposals had all been decided and their involvement was just a formality. The Alliance was naturally enough, keener on the second approach.

    The top five

    After the three meetings the top five issues emerged.  They were:

    1. Housing and issues around quality and affordability
    2. Traffic and transport
    3. A Community Hub
    4. An Environment Centre
    5. A college for the performing arts

    A full description of these and a brief report of the final assembly, can be found on this link.

    Mark said that present in the room, were the five ‘champions’ for each of these ideas and he suggested the next step is some kind of engagement with councillors and others. He mentioned the idea of citizen’s juries, another idea being promoted by SDA, which has been successfully used to tackle more complex problems.  It was true they cost money but the cost of getting these things wrong needs also to be considered.  They have the advantage of engaging experts into the debate and engaging a cross section of citizens in the process.

    Responses

    In response to Mark’s presentation, councillors had some questions and comments.

    Cllr Sven Hocking asked how will those who took part in this event or SDA help councillors find the budget.  Mark replied that it was not the role of SDA to try and manage the council’s budget.  We were only seeking to submit ideas.

    Cllr Ricky Rogers said on the housing issue, it was government who decide.  Developers were in a strong position he said.  This was a matter which came up in our debates and is a fair point. 

    Cllr Ed Rimmer was more sceptical.  He thought it better for people to engage in the existing system.  He questioned whether the [five priorities] reflected the wishes of the wider community. Is there not a risk that what is proposed subverts the [electoral] system we have?  After all, the councillors here have been voted in to represent people. How can SDA demonstrate political balance?

    In replying Mark said we were not suggesting our method was better. He stressed people had given up their time.  The point was our method was deliberative.

    Cllr John Wells said he had attended one of the sessions. He suggested some of the ideas should be built into the things they are engaged in already.

    There followed a general debate in which it was stressed that the process was about helping the councillors do their job.  It was agreed that better engagement was wanted and was a good idea.

    Cllr Paul Sample (Chair) said the work was opportune.  There was a review of the Area Boards underway and he welcomed the ideas and energy put in.  “Keep doing what you’re doing – it’s not wasted!” 

    Comment

    After the work put into organising and running the three assemblies, we were encouraged with the overall response we received. There does seem to be a change of attitude among the majority of councillors that admits they do need input from organised events of this kind.

    It is true that councillors (and members of parliament) are voted in to run things but the question is how many of the public would have read their manifestos before doing so?  How do you accommodate changing circumstances?  Are people only to have a say every 4 or five years?  As new problems or opportunities arise is it not best to tap into any local expertise?

    The three sessions demonstrated the degree of enthusiasm and commitment local people had. The point surely was to bottle some of this enthusiasm and use it to change or improve things. Trust in politics is at a very low ebb. People feel ignored and left out. This kind of deliberative approach would surely put a small dent in that thinking.

    The future

    We shall be meeting soon to consider next steps and there will be a post here so subscribe if you want to remain in touch. Why not join us? We need more people who want to play a role in local affairs. As we have debated in several of our Democracy Café meetings (next one on Saturday July 12th, 10:00 in the Library finishing at noon), the role of parties in the local political scene is doubted by many and is seen as an irrelevance. We are not a political party and our aim is to improve how things are run.

    Peter Curbishley

  • People’s Assembly

    Third People’s Assembly held today

    June 2025

    The third People’s Assembly was held today and we were delighted with the turnout of 42 (excluding the team so 50 altogether). There is always the worry when you run projects of this nature that come the day you’re faced with an empty room.

    There was eager debate and we were particularly pleased to welcome several local councillors. This is just an interim post and we will be putting up a more detailed one after our ‘wash-up’ team meeting tomorrow (Monday).

    It is clear however from the three sessions is that there is an appetite for debate and an eagerness to contribute to what should happen to Salisbury. We have been encouraged by the exercise and encouraged to follow up with other similar ideas.

    PC

  • People in the Park

    Enthusiastic responses on our stand at the event

    May 2025

    People in the Park is an annual event which takes place in Elizabeth Gardens in Salisbury and this year’s was very well attended. A sunny day people were out in numbers throughout the event. SDA had a stand there focusing particularly on the People’s Assemblies the third and final one of which takes place on June 1st at the Football Club.

    We had a great deal of interest in the chart we displayed which had the top ten things people wanted to see changed in Salisbury. You can see from the chart that a lot of stickers were attached to the various ideas by visitors to our stand. There does seem to be a hunger for involvement by people who sometimes feel left out or marginalised by the existing political system. Perhaps it is one of the reason Reform did so well in the recent elections – winning many seats in Wiltshire for example – because people’s concerns do not find their way into the mainstream party’s thinking. Not always fair of course and it remains to be seen how well Reform actually performs now it has a bigger presence in the political firmament.

    Among the ten top suggestions, several concerned housing where people said they wanted more affordable houses and flats. They were also concerned at developers not meeting their planning obligations, often claiming as Shelter notes, that once on site they carry out viability assessments which show – amazingly – that they cannot build all the affordable units they promised.

    We also had more people sign up for our third People’s Assembly on June 1st including a number of local councillors. There are still spaces and if you are interested please contact Mark Potts mapotts53@gmail.com or leave a note here. See a report on the second assembly.

    Thanks to SDA members Mike, Andrew and Mark who manned the stand. Main picture below shows the large number of spots on the options chart. Mark and Andrew pictured.

    Our next Democracy Café takes place in the Library on Saturday 14 June. Previous write ups of these are elsewhere on this site.

  • Second People’s Assembly

    Plans progressing for the second assembly

    March 2025

    Following the success of the first People’s Assembly, the second is being planned for April 13th starting at 2pm and finishing some time after 4pm. The first assembly went well and attendance was good. We have received good coverage in the local media. Issues concerning timings have been addressed so we hope this assembly will work just that bit more smoothly. Numbers are good with over 50 so far but we suspect some will not come so there are spaces. If you are interested you need to contact Mark Potts on mapotts53@gmail.com to book your space.

    The event is free but there is a parting collection. You’ll note that 13th is a Sunday and we have chosen this to enable people who work or have commitments on a Saturday to take part.

    There is disabled access and there is parking on site or in the road. It will take place at St Gregory’s Hall in St Gregory’s Avenue, SP2 7SF. The avenue is off Roman Road which runs between Wilton Road and Devizes Road on the West side of the City.

    This is a golden opportunity for you to come and make your views known.

  • People’s Assembly

    First People’s Assembly held and was a great success

    March 2025

    [UPDATE: 14 April. The Football Club will now be the location for the third People’s Assembly on 1 June]

    We held our first People’s Assembly on Saturday March 1st at which around 40 attended with a further 10 of us, with spirited debates on some of the key problems which face Salisbury. The idea is part of the Assemble movement and after two more of these assemblies are held, our final suggestions will go to the national event to be held in July.

    To some extent, people have lost some faith in the political process. We have elections and we listen to speeches and read manifestos, but in reality, what we the people think seems to matter less and less. It is media interests – many of them based in America – and commercial firms which seem to call the tune. Elon Musk and his various outrageous and incorrect posts about grooming gangs is a recent example. His statements forced the government’s hand and the Home Secretary has announced an enquiry. So an American has driven policy, not the people who voted for the government last year. The malign role of the Murdoch media has been well aired.

    It is also timely as the struggle to reform the House of Lords continues. This archaic institution which is largely white and elderly, is resisting efforts at reform, reform that is long overdue (long as in centuries). This is just one of the campaigns to encourage the voice of ordinary people to be heard.

    The idea of these meetings is first, to ask people to say what they think the problems facing Salisbury are and second, to suggest solutions. A variety of ideas and problems emerged including concerns about housing issues. People felt aggrieved that developers were able to dodge their planning obligations by not providing sufficient affordable homes. Building homes that weren’t fully insulated was another complaint as was not allowing building on the flood plains. Housing estates going up around Salisbury without infrastructure such as medical centres was another concern.

    More council built homes was suggested. Perhaps the effects of ‘right to buy,’ the flagship policy of the Thatcher era, are now being understood. We should remember that it was originally a Labour party policy but the problem when it was introduced was not allowing LAs to use the receipts to build more homes.

    Transport was a topic of interest and people wanted to see a more comprehensive and realistic transport plan with car free zones, people friendly routes and more cycle ways. More pedestrianisation was also suggested in Salisbury.

    Perhaps a surprising suggestion was for Salisbury to have a College for the Performing Arts which would complement the Playhouse and provide opportunities for young people to gain skills in this important part of our society.

    Most found the afternoon interesting and certainly there was a lot of earnest debate in each of the groups. Some were disappointed at the lack of opportunity to debate or explore some of the problems and the suggestions being put forward. They felt it was a tad rushed and they would have liked more time. Another worry was that some good ideas seem to get lost in the voting process. But hey, Rome wasn’t built in a day. We are looking carefully at the timings and overall timescale and may well alter things for the second meeting to be held on 13 April.

    Another issue which emerged was the status of Salisbury. Being a parish, means it has only limited powers to do make changes. It also meant focusing the debates and suggestions quite difficult since where did the responsibility lie?

    Some photos of the event are below. Clockwise from the left: Mark Potts; plenary session; a speaker feeding back from her group; groups debating their topics; assembling before the event.

    The next meeting takes place on Sunday 13 April at St Gregory’s Hall (SP1 2SF, St Gregory’s Avenue off the Devizes Road) at 2pm. It is free to attend with a parting collection. The third is 1st June at the Football Club. You can come to either or both. To register your interest please leave a note here or contact mapotts53@gmail.com.

    Be part of a new force and make your views known.

    Peter Curbishley