- Applicant: John Popham
- Funding provided: £300
Event description: A one day unconference about exploring new ways of re-connecting the electorate with local politics and politicians. Examining existing and new ways in which Hyperlocal Bloggers and Citizen Journalists can cover local elections, inform local people better about the issues and personalities, and help to ensure local decisions are made on an informed basis.
The format will be the the unconference style of self-directed event, with attendees setting the agenda at the beginning of the day. Topics will be for participants to choose, but a key aim will be to see whether techniques used in national elections and debates (i.e. Question Time, Election Specials, etc.) can be adapted for local purposes using the internet.
The audience will be Hyperlocal Bloggers, Citizen Journalists, organisations that support them, local politicians, local election officers, governance officials, and mainstream journalists.