6 February 2006

Local councils are being urged to introduce e-democracy projects to help strengthen their relationship with the local community.

A report from the government's Local e-Democracy National Project has been released and outlines the many benefits of e-democracy.

There are currently 22 pilot e-democracy projects running across the country and these are highlighted in the report as examples of how a greater interest in local government can be encouraged in a community.

It promotes the idea that e-democracy can "empower" communities to "talk among themselves" about important issues they are concerned with.

The report also provides examples of how these projects can be practically implemented, giving guidance on issues such as budgeting and costs.

Examples of local democracy schemes include weblogs, online surgeries, web-casting and e-petitioning.

The launch of the report has been timed to coincide with the start of a series of regional conferences for councillors encouraging increased take-up of e-democracy tools.

© Adfero Ltd

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