Democratic Engagement Fund
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans she has to use the Democratic Engagement Fund: Prospectus fund to support foreign citizens resident voting in the UK.
Answered by Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
The Democratic Engagement Fund will provide grants to civil society organisations to deliver politically neutral, place‑based activities that help people understand, engage with, and participate in democracy.
The Fund’s resources are designed for projects that work with the following less-engaged groups: young people (aged 5-25); ethnic minority groups; people who are homeless; regular movers; disabled people; people from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Some members of these groups may be foreign citizens resident in the UK, and some of them may be eligible to vote in certain elections in the UK.
However, the Fund aims to encourage engagement that goes beyond voting alone. "Democratic engagement” is defined as a person taking action, at and between elections, that can influence decisions affecting their lives and the lives of others. That action could include voting, signing an online petition or writing to a newspaper, among many others.
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