Speaker in Birmingham to encourage engagement with Parliament
5 October 2010 (updated on 5 October 2010)
The Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow will be in Birmingham on Friday 8 October to meet various groups and school students to look at ways of increasing public interest and engagement with Parliament
During the visit the Speaker will:
- Give a keynote speech to young people aged 14 to 17 about the importance of engaging with the democratic process at a conference on Educating Citizens for a Democratic Society.
- Visit Percy Shurmer Primary School, in Balsall heath.
- Speak to Asian women at an event organised in Moseley by the Saheli Women’s Project, with which Parliamentary Outreach has worked extensively over the last 18 months.
- Take part in a round table question and answer session with key figures from the West Midlands Voluntary and Community Sector.
Commenting on the visit Speaker Bercow said:
"When I was appointed Speaker I promised to try and re-engage the country with the work of Parliament and that is a process I want to continue with a series of visits around the UK.
"I am determined to get across that the House of Commons is a vibrant and exciting place that is relevant to the people of the UK no matter where they live.
"During my time in Birmingham, I am keen to meet as wide a range of people as possible, but particularly those who don’t feel engaged with the work that goes on in Parliament.
"However, I don’t just want to talk about why I think Parliament is important but to find out what people think the House of Commons ought to be doing to make itself more relevant to them."
As part of the ongoing commitment to increasing public engagement, Parliament is also holding a free one-off session in Birmingham on 29 October to show how the public can track and engage with the scrutiny of legislation.
The session will take place at the Birmingham and Midland Institute and is open to groups and organisations interested in localism and decentralisation.
For more details on the workshop, please call Daniel Wood on 07917 488839 or Matt Ringer on 020 7219 4623, or email parliamentaryoutreach@parliament.uk to book a place.