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** mySociety news
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** September 2019
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** Transparency
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** FOI and the Irish border
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We're all aware of the Irish border issue — but how many of us understand precisely what it entails, beyond trade and customs implications?
WhatDoTheyKnow user Jon Rush explains how he took a request to the brink of tribunal in order to have that information released to the public — and now that it has been, what it tells us about life after Brexit ([link removed]) .
** Research
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** Service bundles, super users and neighbourhoods
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Can FixMyStreet be looked at as a number of different services — a pothole reporting site; a graffiti reporting site; a littering reporting site, etc — and if so, what does that tell us about how it's used?
That's the focus of the first in a series of research reports by Alex ([link removed]) : in his other recent posts, you'll also find out that 0.1% of FixMyStreet users generate 16% of reports ([link removed]) ; and thoughts on the definition of a 'neighbourhood' ([link removed]) .
** Legal Information Institutes
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The research team recently visited several sub-Saharan African countries to assess the impacts of LIIs — Legal Information Institutes, which exist to provide free access to the laws of the land. You can find the resulting report here ([link removed]) .
** Help keep us going
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mySociety services like FixMyStreet, TheyWorkForYou and WhatDoTheyKnow are used by millions of people a year, but we receive very little funding for our core services in the UK. If you find our services useful and are able, please consider making a regular or one-off donation. ([link removed])
Donate to mySociety ([link removed])
** Community
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** Empowering residents of tower blocks
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We've been working with Tower Blocks UK to explore how residents across the country could have more input into the management of their buildings.
If you live in a tower block, read our post to discover how you can help inform the services we're developing ([link removed]) .
** New FixMyStreet services
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We're delighted to say that FixMyStreet Pro is now the official reporting service for both Hounslow and Westminster, the latest authorities to come on board.
Although the end result is always the same — smooth reporting for residents, and full integration with council services — the installation process is always unique. Read more about how we approached the Westminster FixMyStreet here ([link removed]) , and how Hounslow's FixMyStreet came together here ([link removed]) .
** Events
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** TICTeC Local
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** For those using technology in local government and communities
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[link removed] November, TICTeC Local comes to City Hall in London. If you use tech in communities or local government, consider submitting a proposal ([link removed]) for a workshop or presentation. But hurry! Submissions close at midnight tomorrow.
Did you know that you can subscribe to our special interest newsletters too? Get an extra monthly bulletin on Democracy & Campaigning, Freedom of Information, Better Cities & Councils, or Research. Pick and choose your mySociety newsletters here ([link removed]) .
** Got something to tell your MP?
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[link removed] certainly been a lot to talk about recently! If you'd like a quick and easy way to send a message to your MP, don't forget that WriteToThem ([link removed]) makes it super simple.
WriteToThem can also be placed on any website: here's how ([link removed]) .
** What mySociety's reading (and listening to)
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* As a General Election looks ever more likely, Newspeak House are collating this crowdsourced handbook of election tech ([link removed]) .
* We found ourselves nodding along to Hewlett Foundation's piece on why non-profits need unrestricted grants ([link removed]) .
* Oxfordshire County Council, a FixMyStreet Pro authority, has recruited citizen volunteers to inspect potholes and order repairs ([link removed]) .
* When local newspapers began to publish articles online, there was a knock-on effect to privacy. This Radiolab podcast on the Right to be Forgotten ([link removed]) was resonant (and infuriating!) for those of us dealing with similar issues here at mySociety.
* Top tip: humourous licence plates can cause financial woes. Probably best not ([link removed]) .
** Follow mySociety
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Image credits: Irish border - ** Andrein ([link removed])
, CC BY-SA 3.0; Dog - ** Elias Costillo ([link removed])
; LII files - Gemma Moulder; Tower Blocks workshop - ** London Tenants' Federation ([link removed])
; Hounslow ** Nigel Thompson ([link removed])
CC by-sa/2.0;
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