In front of an audience of ministers, senior politicians from national and local government and local government leaders, RSA Chief Executive Matthew Taylor, hosting the event for publisher Public Matters, told over 100 guests: “I am delighted to be involved in Elected, which is a bold and exciting idea and deserves to succeed”.
Eric Pickles joined him in welcoming the new magazine, remarking on the importance of spreading expertise and best practice as ways to improve services when resources are constrained.
Eric Pickles: “Putting the nation’s finances back on a stable footing means there’s going to be less cash around, but there’s never been a better time to be in government – local or national. All elected politicians need the right tools at their disposal to transform services and make an impact: projects like Elected are exactly what they need, giving them the vital ideas, expertise and knowledge to do their jobs well”.
According to the publishers, Elected’s first three editions will be sent free to every elected politician in the country: 650 MPs, 22,000 local councillors in every local authority in England, Scotland and Wales, and every member of the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh and London Assemblies, in addition to council Chief Executives, civil service Permanent Secretaries and service directors, political assistants and aides, and hundreds of professionals in the communications, consulting, policy and public affairs industries.
Issue one features guest columns from Eric Pickles and Matthew Taylor, as well as former Ministerial Special Adviser Ian Parker; interviews with Audit Commission Chair Matthew O’Higgins and Thurrock council Chief Exec Graham Farrant; an 8-page pullout “Expertise” section, focussing in depth on local government budgeting; public sector news from around the country; and detailed directory and date listings of conferences, parliamentary and political events.
Publisher Matthew Huggins said: “We know how daunting service improvement can be, particularly for councillors who undertake their duties in their spare time.
"That’s why Elected matters: it cuts through the baffling jargon and brings vital knowledge and best practice to elected members, who take the decisions and bear responsibility for improving and transforming public services.
"We want Elected to be the premier resource for elected members doing the job the public elected them to do: representing their interests, running their services and delivering value for money”.
Elected is published by Public Matters, a company from the Social Equity Group which owns the Care Matters Partnership.
From issue two, Elected will be edited by Alex Klaushofer, a freelance journalist writing on social affairs and politics in Britain and the Middle East. She has written for the Guardian, New Statesman and BBC
Elected will be published monthly, bringing original features, opinions, news and expertise to elected politicians and political leaders across the UK.
Elected is available for subscription: all elected politicians receive a free copy monthly as an introductory 3-month offer.
