This new module will cover Radio and TV as well as focus on Public Affairs - this will cover local government, central government and community politics.
Politics is an area I became interested in during the 2010 General Election campaign.
Here's just a short introduction into the module...
Steve Brine is the MP for Winchester and he represents the area in Parliament, this means that he has no power in the area's council and he is separate from the courts as well.
Councils - there are 3 types of councils in the UK.
County - The top level of councils and have control of whole counties e.g. Hampshire, the HCC controls a budget of £1.8 billion and has 40,000 staff, 53 libraries and 8 country parks. It is one of the biggest county councils in the UK.
City/District - Smaller than a county council and usually covers a large area in the county e.g. Winchester, WCC controls a budget of £12 million.
Parish - These don't usually have control of any money, but they debate issues that concern their specific area in small public meetings - much similar to the Town Forum we went to.
Smaller cities like Southampton and Portsmouth have Unitary Authorities, these are county and city councils in one.
Councillors - These are elected and can have a cabinet if their party is selected in the election. They are responsible for decision making in their area.
Council meetings - These meetings are public meetings that anyone can attend and are in the Public Interest. Whatever is said in these meetings can be reported, journalists can use the Defamation Act to ward off any councillors who say that the meeting is 'private'.
Council Tax - This is paid by residents of an area and funds public services such as hospitals, major roads and council housing. Generally, only about 1/4 of council funding is from council tax, other taxes make up the other 3/4.
TB 2012
No comments:
Post a Comment