The North of Tyne Citizens’ Assembly on Climate Change
The Citizens Assembly saw 50 people from the north east of England come together to help shape the region’s response to the climate crisis.
Through the Sortition Foundation, the North of Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA) sent out 10,000 letters in December 2020, inviting randomly selected residents of Newcastle, North Tyneside, and Northumberland to take part. From those who responded 50 people were selected to reflect the diversity of the population in the region.
The Assembly, facilitated by Shared Future on behalf of the NTCA, started on 24 February and ended on 24 March, running for a total of 30 hours over eight sessions. The question raised to the assembly was:
“What should we do in the region to address climate change and its causes fairly, effectively and quickly?”
The NTCA set up the process to help come up with radical actions to slash the area’s carbon footprint. Jamie Driscoll, Mayor of North of Tyne, recently said about the Citizens Assembly:
“The climate emergency is real and urgent. But we need to take people with us if we are to tackle it effectively. A Citizens’ Assembly is a different way of doing things. It’s an opportunity to engage meaningfully with a representative sample of the public and listen to what they have to say.”
