What would it take to democratise climate decision-making at the local level? Citizens’ assemblies have emerged as a powerful tool for deliberative democracy — but few local councils had the capacity to design or run them. This project created a lightweight, replicable toolkit that translated theory into practice: giving local actors the power to convene climate assemblies that were inclusive, credible and community-rooted. Approach • Co-designed with participatory experts, council partners and climate activists • Synthesised research from UK-wide assemblies into actionable steps, scripts and scenarios • Built open-source templates that balanced rigour with flexibility • Embedded equity principles, facilitation guidance and legitimacy framing throughout Impact • Toolkit adopted by over a dozen local councils across the UK • Enabled communities to lead with deliberation, not consultation • Reduced cost and complexity barriers for local climate action • Created pathways for long-term public involvement in ecological transition
2024