Blimey this bloke must be good if he beat Barnsley’s Cllr Tim Cheetham – @CllrTim. Well done Cllr Barber – @CllrJamesBarber.
Extract from the LGIU Local democracy blog
Winner: Cllr James Barber, London Borough of Southwark
Highly Commended: Cllr Matthew Ellis, Staffordshire County Council
Cllr Barber’s use of online media demonstrates how councillors can engage citizens within their own space in order to make a difference in their communities. He has established a presence on a citizen-run neighbourhood website by engaging and responding positively to local people’s issues, providing information, giving responses from officers and inviting residents to submit their problems and questions to him. Cllr Barber has been cited as a pioneer in this field in research for London Councils; by offering his services in a citizen centred space.
Unlike other nominees in this category, judges really felt that Cllr Barber’s achievements stood out as being different because he has managed to assert himself on existing media that residents of his local area use – he has gone to them rather than expecting them to come to him. The judges noted that ‘if social media is about anything, it is about being where people are’ and this is an excellent example of this.
steven tuck's blog 
Leave a comment