The recent controversy over regional lockdowns in response to the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the arbitrary way that the London government can treat local and regional democracy in England.

Andy Burnham and other local leaders can protest as much they like, but all the power is in London, and the government there can impose whatever it wants.

In contrast to this centralised and unconstituted model of governance, the German constitution codifies the relationship between local, regional and national government and facilitates co-operation between them.

Please join us for a discussion about how German local and regional government works and how that could inform what happens in West Yorkshire.

The session is a collaboration between Same Skies and Germany's Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES).

Our aim is to gather together people, experiences and knowledge, then look for themes and common threads that emerge.

We will begin with a framing presentation from FES (further details to follow), then if you would like to make a two minute contribution we will try to include as many as we can for most of the hour.

The discussion will be documented in detail, following the pattern of this event about homes and liveable places.

About Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung

"The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung is the oldest political foundation in Germany with a rich tradition in social democracy dating back to its foundation in 1925. The foundation owes its formation and its mission to the political legacy of its namesake Friedrich Ebert, the first democratically elected German President.

The work of our political foundation focuses on the core ideas and values of social democracy – freedom, justice and solidarity. This connects us to social democracy and free trade unions. As a non-profit institution, we organise our work autonomously and independently."

About Same Skies

Same Skies is the citizen-led regional democracy network and think tank for West Yorkshire, founded by volunteers in 2015.

Image courtesy of Park Fiction, Hamburg.