Flatpack democracy

Flatpack democracy is an approach to renewing democracy at a local level by forming coalitions of independents to contest elections, inspired by the example of the English town of Frome. The term was a title of two books by Peter Macfadyen, a former town councillor of Frome who wrote about their experiences. It comes from the concept that people have the components to assemble; they just need to assemble them.

Independents for Frome (IfF) was formed at the start of 2011 by a group of residents who were dissatisfied with their town council. IfF was launched with a series of local meetings, in which residents put their names forward to be either candidates or on the panel to select candidates. A few months after their founding, they won a majority on Frome Town Council with just under half the vote.

As an English parish council, it has relatively few powers and had previously dealt with minor local affairs such as managing the park. However, they have more flexibility to increase taxes than principal authority councils (district level and higher). That year also saw a new law passed that gave the council the "General Power of Competence", giving the council a power to do anything that "an individual may generally do".

As the journalist John Harris noted in 2015, "the IfF group has been very busy", with notable developments including forming a community interest company and a pioneering share shop, boosting the local credit union and revitalising local buildings and green spaces.

Also in 2011, a coalition of independents with many similarities took control of the town council in Liskeard, though it soon fell apart. During the 2010s, similar movements spread to including Alderley Edge in Cheshire, Arlesey in Bedfordshire and a cluster of towns in Devon. Virtually all have been on parish councils. These movements have been less successful at contesting principal authorities. An arguable exception is Residents for Uttlesford, which cite IfF as an influence. IfF remains one of the most electorally successful examples. In 2015, they won every seat on the council, and their dominance grew even stronger in the next two elections.

• Coalitions of independents: Although IfF were officially registered as a political party, they differed in practice. Traditional political parties are usually united around proposals and vote on them in unison. Using their Ways of Working, IfF agreed to work together while accepting that they would disagree on some issues.
• "Power with" rather than "Power over": In his book Flatpack Democracy, Macfadyen emphasises that the IfF-controlled council sought to consult with the locals when making all their decisions. The council also convened a randomly-selected citizens' panel to advise on planning.
• Informality: On taking control of the council, IfF dispensed with many rules of council meetings, except those that were legally required.

• Flatpack Democracy: A DIY Guide to Creating Independent Politics, Peter Macfadyen, 2014
• Flatpack Democracy 2.0: Power Tools for Reclaiming Local Politics, Peter Macfadyen, 2019
• How Flatpack Democracy beat the old parties in the People's Republic of Frome, The Guardian, 2015