Blog

Improving Democracy Through Dialogue – Stockholm, Sweden May 2018

      I am writing this during the lunchtime session of day one at the SALAR conference on Participatory Budgeting.  I am in Stockholm, Sweden (a very expensive place to eat and drink – £8 for a beer!). This blog is a way of me adopting the role of social reporter – not a[…]

May 17th 2018
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LFRS – World Café at Revoe School in Blackpool provides ‘Mutual Gain’

ON the evening of Thursday the 14th September nine months of multi-agency collaboration culminated in the delivery of a World Café at Revoe School in Blackpool. This is part of a MutualGain initiative from the Home Office which trains staff to engage with communities in a completely different way. The aim of the café is[…]

September 22nd 2017

Developing evidence based policing: Building social capital

Susan Ritchie examines the case for developing evidence based policing to increase community engagement whilst making best use of shrinking resources. This blog originally appeared on the Policing Insight site.  Evidence based policing is the order of the day for the government: PCCs and the Chief Constables are to ensure that public resources are allocated[…]

August 1st 2017

Carly Griffith – My first week at MutualGain

Carly Griffith – our new Intern for Health and Inequality, shares her thoughts on her first week at MutualGain.           Monday 17th July 2017 – First meeting with MutualGain. The day started off with an early morning train down to Birmingham, where the meeting was set to take place at Moseley[…]

July 26th 2017

Consultation Institute Conference – Public Engagement in The Post-Truth Age

Susan Ritchie, Director of MutualGain and an Associate at the Consultation Institute, writes her latest blog about the recent Consultation Institute Conference. A useful read for all working in organisations who go to consultation, or those active citizens who might wish to challenge a decision made!     I attended the annual conference for the[…]

July 25th 2017

Success at “Unity in the Community” Participatory Budgeting Event

On Saturday 6th March, Andrew and Owen from MutualGain  spent the day at ‘Unity in the Community‘ Participatory Budgeting (PB) event at the Greek Cypriot Association in Birmingham.  The events was the culmination of training and support provided by MutualGain to the Birmingham East neighbourhood police team, partners and active citizens. Throughout this period a[…]

March 10th 2017


Art, Politics and Social Capital

This week has been an interesting blend of art, culture, politics and work. Start of the week: As I roamed the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam I was reminded that you don’t need to like all art, but your life is more fulfilled if you’re willing to explore and learn what you do and don’t[…]

November 16th 2016


Huge success for Cheshire East Participatory Budgeting Process

MutualGain’s Dr Andrew Fisher recently supported Cheshire East Council to deliver a Participatory Budgeting process in Handforth last month which saw £20,000 shared between five groups based upon voting by members of the community. The process was part of a £400,000 investment by Cheshire East Council in improving the health of residents across the borough, and[…]

October 29th 2016