The Jury produced its final report in March. Download the report here.
Read a summary of its final recommendations here.
Introduction
The jury saw 25 citizens come together to consider the question, “What should happen in the Furness area to address the emergency of climate change?”
Barrow Borough Council launched the recruitment process for the Jury in October 2021.
Letters were sent to 4,000 households randomly selected from the Royal Mail’s address database by the Sortition Foundation, an independent, not-for-profit organisation that promotes the use of stratified, random selection in decision-making.
The selection process made sure there was a diverse range of people in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, where people live and attitude to climate change.
Only citizens who received a letter from the council could register to take part. The recipients of the letter signed up using the link or by ringing the freephone number, both of which were provided in the letter. Anyone aged 15 years of age or over in the household could register to be considered for the jury.
The jury met for ten Tuesday evening sessions over a three-month period starting on 16 November, 2021, and finishing on 8 February, 2022, with a three week break over the Christmas period. The jury heard from a range of expert opinions before reaching a series of recommendations for the council.
Jury members, selected to reflect the diversity of the population, listened to and questioned a range of expert commentators. Then they shared their ideas, deliberated on the issues, before creating a set of recommendations to be taken to Barrow Borough Council to consider.
All participants received £250 in vouchers as a thank you for their time.
The Recommendations
The jury launched its recommendations on Tuesday, 29th March. Read a summary of its final recommendations here.
The jury’s collective statement
In a collective statement in the report, the jury said:
“We are a diverse energetic group of Furness citizens which reflect the make-up of the local community. We have come together with a range of different opinions and ideas. We have heard from a range of speakers and have challenged them to further our understanding and knowledge. We have not always agreed and have had challenging discussions before reaching our conclusions which has promoted our learning.
“We believe that climate change is something that affects everyone. We have taken this process to heart.
“This has left many of us feeling overwhelmed but hopeful and enthusiastic that our small steps can make a difference.
“Through our work we have produced a shared vision which we believe will do the best for Furness residents, businesses and organisations.
“We feel positive that there is much work going on but that few people know of this. We also believe in the power of change as a positive which itself can create energy to produce the local solutions which must be the focus of our work.
“But there is much to be done. We need a coordinated approach to get the best for Furness. We need a clear, costed plan that lets all citizens know what is going to happen in the future as well as confidence in council leadership. We must recognise that we all must take responsibility and not leave it to someone else.”
