Liverpool City Council is pledging to cut out jargon and will pilot broadcasts of meetings in a scheme aimed at improving Town Hall democracy.
It is part of a wide-ranging plan set to be approved by the city's Executive Board to take forward recommendations made by the Liverpool Democracy Commission.
The Commission, established in 2008 looked at ways of getting more people involved in decision-making and was chaired by Professor Michael Brown, Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive of Liverpool John Moores University.
Acting on the Commission's suggestions, the council Constitutional Issues Committee has brought forward a series of proposals for action.
These include:
* getting staff who write letters and reports to use plain English rather than terminology, jargon and acronyms
* piloting webcasting a future council meeting to gauge interest from local residents and the media
* training elected members in how to use social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to improve communication with constituents
Councillor Paula Keaveney, executive member for ethical governance, who sat on the Liverpool Democracy Commission, said: "We spend a large amount of taxpayers money so it is absolutely crucial that we give as many people as possible the chance to get involved in the decisions we make.
“We need to tear down some of the barriers that make it more difficult than it should be for people to understand the work of the council and how the decisions we make impact on their lives.
“Too many local residents see the council as remote and not relevant to them and for the sake of local democracy we have to tackle it.
“I'm particularly passionate about using technology such as the internet to improve the way councillors communicate with the public.
“I also want to cut-out the bamboozling and impenetrable jargon which has infected local government because local residents simply don’t understand it and it is a huge turn-off.”
There is also a proposal to develop a mentoring scheme aimed at groups of people who are under-represented on the council such as those with sight and hearing impairment, and users of British Sign Language.
And to get young people more involved in politics, a representative from the schools parliament will be elected to some council committees, while lessons about local democracy will be introduced into the curriculum. Plans are also afoot to work more closely with higher education students in the city.
Consideration will also be given to making crèche facilities available for elected members and changing the start times of meetings to make the council more family-friendly.
A recognition scheme will also be developed for employers who support and encourage their staff to become councillors.
Following consideration by the Executive Board on Friday (26th February) the report will go before a full meeting of the city council next Wednesday (3rd March) for final approval.
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