Democracy Hubs are made up of a collection of organisations and individuals from across a region that all strive to improve their communities and democratic institutions. We hold bi-annual meetings to bring people together to network, share ideas and collaborate. Please see below a list of our current hub members and come along to our next event!
The Greater Manchester Democracy Hub is a collaboration between The Politics Project and The Democratic Society.
The GMCA is made up of the ten Greater Manchester councils and the Mayor, who work with other public services, businesses and communities to improve the city-region. The Greater Manchester Youth Combined Authority (YCA)is comprised of 40 young people (11-18) who represent 20 groups, including youth councils and clubs. The YCA develops real policies that improve the lives of young people, including a Curriculum for Life and standards for work experience. The YCA also advises the Mayor and GMCA on key issues affecting young people, and scrutinises the work of Greater Manchester’s leaders.
Contact: Claire Millett - claire.millett@greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk
URBED is a masterplanning and urban design consultancy based in Manchester, working all over the UK. Our practice is based on three key themes: high quality design, community involvement and sustainability. We are run as a co-operative so almost all our employees are directors and we manage the business together. This influences the collaborative way we work with our clients, collaborators and the community. We work at a range of scales, from small community-led projects right up to huge spatial strategies. We have 40 years experience and a multidisciplinary team with a shared passion for the built environment.
Contact: Vicky Payne - vicky@urbed.coop
Rachael is the Senior Education and Engagement Officer for the North West focusing on education. She visits schools from Primary to Sixth Form across all 75 constituencies within the North West, delivering assemblies and workshops to encourage the students' understanding of and engagement with Parliament.
Contact: Rachael Dodgson - dodgsonr@parliament.uk
The People's History Museum (PHM) in Manchester is the national museum of democracy, telling the story of its development in Britain: past, present, and future. It collects items of national importance primarily from the last two hundred years of British labour and political history, including the history of working people and their fight for equality and change.
Contact: Michael Powell - michael.powell@phm.org.uk
Everyone in Greater Manchester deserves to live well. That’s why our NHS organisations and councils signed an historic devolution deal with the government.
Having taken charge of our own health and social care spending, we’re now working together to improve the health, wealth and wellbeing of the 2.8 million people living here.
Colin is an academic, working mainly in areas of schooling, education policy, critical and social justice based methods of governance and ways of engaging younger people in political processes. He has worked as a teacher, leader in schools, university teacher and researcher. He has experience as parliamentary researcher and on government programmes on literacy and engagement His current research and activities focus on (a) working with local and national politicians on engagement programmes; (b) governance and democracy in schools (with a focus on primary schooling).
Contact: Colin Mills - colin.mills@manchester.ac.uk
Shared Futures is a social enterprise with interests in social enterprise development, Citizen Juries and Participatory Budgeting. Our vision is a world where everyone feels they can take action to make a better life for themselves and for others.
Contact: Jez Hall - jez.hall@sharedfuturecic.org.uk
Gary is UK Parliament's Senior Education and Engagement Officer for the North West.
The UK Parliament offers workshops and presentations on how to get your voice heard on the issues that matter most to you.
If you are part of a group of people that are underrepresented in Parliament, we are particularly keen to support you. For example, we offer sessions for women and women's groups, adults with learning disabilities (ALD), young people, black and ethnic minorities and the long-term unemployed. It is also possible to tailor the sessions depending upon the requirements of your audience.
Contact: Gary Hart - hartg@parliament.uk
