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Sunny Sangha (2009) has recently launched People Power Brum, a new political movement that is seeking to revitalise and transform the democracy and government of the city.

People Power Brum is helping community leaders across Birmingham stand as independent candidates in the Birmingham City Council elections on 3 May 2018. The aim is to stand 101 candidates - one for every seat - and to win a people's majority on the Council.

Each People Power Brum candidate is taking the ‘People's Pledge': "If elected, I will work to reinvent Birmingham City Council for the 21st century, using modern internet technology, as well as regular offline citizen meetings, to build a government that includes and respects everyone, and which is totally open and transparent for all to see."

The movement aims to increase engagement in local politics and improve conversations between citizens of Birmingham and the Council through initiatives such as citizens' assemblies and a smartphone app that enables individuals to make their voices heard regularly and at short notice.

Sunny said: "Many people are disaffected with politics, at all levels. It's telling that the usual turnout at Birmingham City Council elections is around 30%. People feel distant and disengaged from the Council, despite being directly affected by the decisions being made there. We feel this can be different, and we want to help build a city where everyone is included and invited to take part.

"The idea of replacing political parties with independent People's Councillors has already been tried in Frome, Somerset, where it has worked very successfully since 2011. We firmly believe Birmingham is ready for this idea, and the challenge of scaling it to our own city of 1.1m people is really exciting. If successful, Birmingham would take its place as a global pioneer in a new form of people-powered politics.

"We have a huge task ahead, including a massive drive to find 101 inspirational community leaders from across Birmingham to stand as People's Councillors. It's a big challenge, but we already have a very talented group of active citizens committed to making it happen, and we're growing every day."

To find out more visit: www.peoplepowerbrum.org

The above image features some of the candidates who will stand as People's Councillors in the May council elections.