RepresentUs https://representus.org.uk/ Better representation. Real accountability. en Sun, 08 Nov 2026 14:08:31 GMT The Ballot Box Divide: How Voter ID Refusals Vary by Council in 2026 https://representus.org.uk/ballot-box-divide-voter-id-refusals-2026/ https://representus.org.uk/ballot-box-divide-voter-id-refusals-2026/ Voter ID is a national rule, but its day-to-day application is local. This explainer sets out how to read 2026's refusal data, request your council's records, and report barriers at the ballot box. RepresentUs Governance Explainer Sun, 08 Nov 2026 12:04:06 GMT Following the Public Pound: A Four-Step FOI Route to Council Contract Ledgers https://representus.org.uk/following-public-pound-foi-council-contracts/ https://representus.org.uk/following-public-pound-foi-council-contracts/ Council services are often delivered through contracts that residents never see in full. This toolkit explains how to use FOI to trace suppliers, subcontractors and conflicts of interest, and how to turn the results into a local accountability campaign. RepresentUs Citizens' Toolkit Sun, 08 Nov 2026 12:04:06 GMT The Listening Test: How to Scrutinise a Council Budget Consultation in 2026 https://representus.org.uk/council-budget-consultation-listening-test-2026/ https://representus.org.uk/council-budget-consultation-listening-test-2026/ Budget consultations can be genuine exercises in public reasoning or tidy surveys that change nothing. This guide sets out how to read the documents, ask sharper questions and turn a token consultation into an accountability moment. RepresentUs Governance Explainer Sun, 08 Nov 2026 08:03:57 GMT Seven Decisions in a Village Hall: The Parish Council Choices That Reach Your Street https://representus.org.uk/seven-village-hall-decisions-parish-council/ https://representus.org.uk/seven-village-hall-decisions-parish-council/ Parish and town councils are the most local tier of democracy in England, and their agendas are often overlooked. This guide maps seven decisions taken in village halls and explains how to attend, question and stand for election. RepresentUs Citizens' Toolkit Sun, 08 Nov 2026 08:03:57 GMT The Public Gallery Test: Three Meetings That Reveal How Open Your Council Really Is https://representus.org.uk/public-gallery-test-three-meetings-council-openness/ https://representus.org.uk/public-gallery-test-three-meetings-council-openness/ Council decisions are often made in rooms most residents never enter. This three-meeting experiment helps you find agendas, attend scrutiny and full council sessions, and judge whether public questions are heard — or merely recorded. RepresentUs Citizens' Toolkit Sun, 08 Nov 2026 04:04:27 GMT Who Gets on the Ballot? Opening Up the Back Rooms of Candidate Selection https://representus.org.uk/who-gets-on-the-ballot-opening-up-candidate-selection/ https://representus.org.uk/who-gets-on-the-ballot-opening-up-candidate-selection/ Parliamentary candidates are chosen long before voters see a ballot paper. This explainer maps the longlisting, hustings and vetting processes UK parties use — and sets out how constituents can press for selections that are more open, local and accountable. RepresentUs Governance Explainer Sun, 08 Nov 2026 04:04:27 GMT Four Ways to Remake the House of Lords — and What Each Does to Your Vote https://representus.org.uk/house-of-lords-reform-four-models-your-vote/ https://representus.org.uk/house-of-lords-reform-four-models-your-vote/ Abolition, a wholly elected chamber, a mixed chamber or an expert-appointed senate: each model would change representation, scrutiny and regional balance in different ways. This explainer sets out the trade-offs and the questions voters should put to their MPs in 2026. RepresentUs Governance Explainer Sun, 08 Nov 2026 00:04:38 GMT The Council Paper Trail: A Five-Minute Audit for Your Street https://representus.org.uk/council-paper-trail-five-minute-audit/ https://representus.org.uk/council-paper-trail-five-minute-audit/ Local decisions about your street are usually recorded somewhere public, but the trail is scattered across committee systems, forward plans and officer registers. This practical audit shows how to find the decision, read the evidence and request the missing paperwork. RepresentUs Citizens' Toolkit Sun, 08 Nov 2026 00:04:38 GMT Who Decides Where You Live? A Field Guide to England's Mayors and Combined Authorities https://representus.org.uk/england-mayors-combined-authorities-field-guide/ https://representus.org.uk/england-mayors-combined-authorities-field-guide/ Devolution has produced not one model but a patchwork of combined authorities, county deals and metro mayors, each with a different bundle of powers and money. This explainer sets out what has genuinely moved, where scrutiny is weakest, and how residents can find the body that makes the decision they care about. RepresentUs Governance Explainer Sat, 07 Nov 2026 20:04:36 GMT The Constituent's Ledger: Five Ways to Keep Your MP Answerable Between Elections https://representus.org.uk/constituents-ledger-five-ways-hold-mp-accountable/ https://representus.org.uk/constituents-ledger-five-ways-hold-mp-accountable/ Voting is the bluntest instrument of accountability and the least frequently used. This guide sets out five practical tools — public records, written questions, committee evidence, freedom of information and the narrow route of recall — that constituents can use in any ordinary week of the parliamentary year. RepresentUs Citizens' Toolkit Sat, 07 Nov 2026 20:04:36 GMT