Plus: data, news and cheering campaigns

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** News and updates
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** October 2023
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A DELICIOUS BLEND OF CLIMATE + TRANSPARENCY


** Using FOI to understand local climate action
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The home energy EPI rating icon

The big news is that the Council Climate Action Scorecards ([link removed]) will be launching next week, providing an unprecedented analysis of what every council in the UK is doing to reach Net Zero.

Data-gathering, led by Climate Emergency UK, has been a meticulous and complex process. Some information could only be obtained by the use of Freedom of Information requests, an area where we were happy to lend a hand.

The results are noteworthy in themselves: they show how councils are doing on EPC ratings of their properties; as well as renewable energy, plans for retrofitting, green skills training, road expansion and more. The FOI requests are already open for your perusal, as we outline in this post ([link removed]) .
DEMOCRACY IN ACTION


** Our services supercharge campaigns
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Solar panels in a field

Our Democracy services WriteToThem and TheyWorkForYou aren't just there to empower individuals (although they do so very well) — they can also be put to good effect by campaigns.

This month we heard from two inspiring organisations who have put our services at the heart of their campaigning.


** Urban areas need trees
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We became aware of STRAW, down in Plymouth, when we noticed they'd sent an unusually high number of users to WriteToThem to contact their councillors. Turns out that people really care about trees ([link removed]) .


** Small scale renewable energy schemes
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Power For People would like to see barriers removed for those setting up small scale energy schemes in their own neghbourhoods. TheyWorkForYou and WriteToThem have helped them very succesfully bring MPs on board ([link removed]) .
GREATER DATA


** Fragmented data and the Future Is Local
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We've been making the case for more accessible and more unified data to inform the drive to Net Zero. Now we're pleased to say that our key fragmented data policy recommendations have been included in Local Mission Zero Network's new Future is Local report.

Our wider work around climate was recognised, too. Julia goes into all the details in this post ([link removed]) .


** Unified boundary data? Say no more
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Talking of fragmented data, with new constituency boundaries set by four different organisations, and no single dataset containing them all, we thought it would be useful to rectify that situation.

Alex explains what we've put together, and how you can access it, here ([link removed]) .
WHEN COMMUNITIES CARE


** Clean-up in a tutu
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The Kings Heath and Brandwood litter pickers pose for the camera.

We know, we know, it's serious.

Well, not that serious. It was, in fact, quite jolly to talk to the Kings Heath and Brandwood Litter Pickers.

We've never seen people have so much fun while cleaning the streets — clearly it helps if you team your high viz jacket with a tutu ([link removed]) .
CLIMATE


** Keep up with our progress
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Golden hour in Brighton. Buildings and a church spire glowing in front of a yellow blue sky.

We're keeping monthnotes not just in the Climate team generally ([link removed]) , but also as we continue to develop our home energy project, Neighbourhood Warmth. ([link removed])

Ideal reading for those who like to follow along with our work, every step of the way.
mySociety's key services


** Your donations help us run projects like these
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If you're reading this newsletter, the chances are that you see the value in mySociety's work — thank you.

Donations are part of what makes that possible, so if you're able, please consider making a contribution today.
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Interested in a particular strand of our work? Pick and choose your mySociety newsletters here ([link removed][UNIQID]) .
REPOWERING DEMOCRACY


** TheyWorkForYou in the 19th century
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one of the division lobbies of the Commons in the mid-1860s

OK, we're not quite that old, as you might have spotted from our 20th anniversary branding at the top of this newsletter.

But questions around how transparent Parliament should be, and how to bring that about, are nothing new, as Dr Kathryn Rix explored in her contribution to the Repowering Democracy series ([link removed]) .


** What we're reading (and visiting)
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* The Institute for Government on putting citizens at the heart of the UK constitution ([link removed]) .
* Do you like your stories about open supermarket pricing data in Austria raw ([link removed]) , or processed ([link removed]) ?
* It was a pleasant surprise to see our friend Arne from German FOI organisation Frag den Staat featuring on the BBC News site ([link removed]) .
* Free training for anyone interested in designing and running citizens’ assemblies ([link removed]) .
* Young designers - can you encourage people to vote? ([link removed]) Cash prizes if you can!
* A couple of exhibitions that seem relevant to our interests: one on the future of email ([link removed]) and another on how to build a low-carbon home ([link removed]) .


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mySociety is a registered charity in England and Wales (1076346) and a limited company (03277032).
Through our trading subsidiary SocietyWorks (05798215) we also provide commercial services.

Image credits: ** EPC ratings ([link removed])
: CC0 via Wikimedia Commons; solar panels: ** Chelsea ([link removed])
; Litter pickers - provided by them; golden hour Brighton ** Elissar Haidar ([link removed])
; historic Parliament engraving: ‘Division barrier and lobby’, J. Ewing Ritchie, The life and times of William Ewart Gladstone.
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