A new political movement is being launched with the aim of shaking up Birmingham City Council at the local elections in May.
The People Power Brum campaign aims to put local power in the hands of citizens by pushing a crop of independent candidates in this year’s city council elections.
It was founded after community organiser Sunny Sangha gave a speech on a concept called ‘liquid democracy’ at a TED talk event in Birmingham last October.
And its aim is to find an independent citizen candidate to challenge for each of the council’s 101 seats on May 3, in an attempt to smash the political party system.
Sunny said: “Many people are disaffected with politics, at all levels. It’s telling that the usual turnout at Birmingham City Council elections is around 30 per cent.
“People feel distant and disengaged from the council, despite being directly affected by the decisions being made there.
“We feel this can be different, and we want to help build a city where everyone is included and invited to shape things.”
“The idea of replacing political parties with independent ‘People’s Councillors’ has already been tried in Frome, Somerset, and has worked very well."
In Frome 17 independents were elected to the town council in 2015.
Sunny added: “We believe Birmingham is ready for this idea, and the challenge of scaling it to our own city of 1.1m people is really exciting.
“If successful, Birmingham would really take its place as a global pioneer in a new form of people-powered politics.”
Sunny, a former pupil of King Edward’s School, Edgbaston, works for UK charity Migrants Organise. He believes local government could be better run by ordinary citizens and make a break from playground party politics.
He would like to see the idea of liquid democracy, where citizens can play a greater role in decisions through both public assemblies and smartphone apps, introduced in Birmingham.
And a group of volunteers, based at the Impact Hub in Digbeth, will be assessing and recruiting potential candidates at a series of meetings starting on February 12.
“We want to find 101 inspirational community leaders, everyday heroes from all over the city, to stand up for Birmingham together,” he added.
The May 3 election will be the first time in 14 years that every single council seat is up for grabs on the same day and could lead to a major shake up in the city’s political balance.
There are currently 120 seats, with Labour holding 79, the Conservatives 29, the Lib Dems 10, one independent and one seat is vacant following a resignation.
The number of seats is being cut at May’s local elections to 101, following a boundary commission review.
