Exploring the relationships between Scottish local authorities and the communities they represent.
Ep. 1 – North Lanarkshire and Council Budgets
Ep. 2 – South Lanarkshire and Housing
Winner of the 41st Scottish Press Awards for Podcast of the Year
Winner of the NCTJ Awards for Excellence 2019 for Best Multimedia Story.
Winner of the 2019 Scottish Student Journalism Award for Best Podcast.
Podcast available on iTunes, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Stitcher and Soundcloud.
ABOUT
Scotland has 32 council areas and every single day people make use of the services and facilities that they provide.
They employ thousands of people to deliver these services. Council staff account for almost 10% of all jobs in the country.
Our local democracies are facing increasing challenges: less funding from the Scottish Government and more demand from constituents.
The last Scottish council elections were held in May 2017. Turnout of registered voters was 46.9%, the highest since 1977. The low numbers were despite these being the first council elections in which 16 and 17 year olds could participate.
How do councils engage with residents? How do people feel about their councillors and the work they do? Do you know the names of the people who decide that every kid who qualifies for free school meals can get one every day of the year? Or the names of those that have decided to put up your council tax for the third year running?
We are going to ask you, your elected officials, experts, local journalists and campaigners to find out how our local democracies really work.
Have a question or want to talk to us about what’s going on in your area?
Drop us a line at gockrim@gmail.com or giannilmarini@gmail.com.
We’re also on Twitter: @Gockrim or @giannilmarini.