Innovating Democracy Advisory Group meeting: 18 December 2025

IDAG members

• Anwen Elias (Chair)
• Sarah Allan
• Jess Blair
• Mike Corcoran
• Tomos Dafydd Davies
• Yvonne Murphy
• Julie Sangani

Apologies

• Sally Holland
• Diana Stirbu
• Leanne Wood

Non-IDAG members

• Item 5: a representative of European University Institute, a representative of FIDE, an independent public participation specialist

1. The note of previous meeting was agreed. Members agreed with the use of Copilot in this meeting to aid note taking.

2. The group noted that Mo Alamgir had resigned from IDAG and that Daisy Thompson was on maternity leave.

Presented by Yvonne Murphy in her professional capacity and not her in IDAG role

3. The group heard an overview of the Democracy Box initiative, outlining its focus on accessible, nonpartisan information, creative schools programme, and in person engagement via the Talking Shop.

4. Research from Omidaze Productions highlighted public interest in simple and relevant democratic information across online, schools and face to face channels and a preference for creative, collaborative approaches with non governmental branding. The research identified a gap in basic democratic knowledge, particularly among teachers and young people.

5. The group discussed factors affecting the scale of this work, including organisational and funding considerations, and the need for cross-sector collaboration. Members reflected on governance, independence, public communication and referred to examples of existing evaluation and learning partnerships.

6. Members discussed how democratic education initiatives could be supported and scaled in Wales, the potential roles for commissioners, the practicalities of rolling out models across local authorities, and the need to avoid duplication of effort across organisations. Points were raised about statutory consultation obligations and examples of sustainable international models.

7. Members emphasised the importance of clarity on ownership, funding and avoiding perceived conflicts of interest.

8. The subgroup updated members on emerging themes and draft recommendations for the Deputy First Minister, acknowledging the need to balance high level recommendations with areas requiring further evidence. Issues considered included curriculum and teacher support, local authority capacity, non formal democratic education, and sustainable funding.

9. There was agreement that the interim report should set out early findings while signalling areas for further work. The secretariat advised on expectations for the report.

10. External experts outlined international approaches to embedding deliberative processes within parliamentary systems, including models where citizens’ assemblies or mixed committees are formally integrated into parliamentary work, noting the value of permanent or recurring structures.

11. Benefits included informed consideration of complex issues, broader public involvement, increased participant confidence, and cross party collaboration. Enablers included senior political support, organisational capacity, skilled facilitation, clear communication, and visible follow up.

12. The group discussed applicability in Wales, including links to committee work, capacity challenges, and the need for structured follow up and deliberation as part of long term democratic infrastructure.

13. Members reflected on opportunities and barriers within the Senedd and wider Welsh democratic structures, including staff capacity, committee engagement, vehicles for future processes, political trust building, participant experiences, and demonstrating deliberation in practice.

14. Members noted progress on sub group evidence reviews and stakeholder engagement, ongoing planning for a pilot with a local authority, upcoming evidence sessions, and confirmation of future meeting dates.

15. The group discussed potential communication and dissemination activities for the report, noting that it is planned for publication just ahead of the 2026 pre-election period.