Pete is interested in the role of democratic innovation in addressing climate change. As a practitioner he has designed, managed and facilitated some 15 deliberative processes on climate related issues (citizens assemblies, juries etc.) including the first climate change related citizens’ jury in the UK, the Leeds Climate Jury (2019) and the Bude Climate Jury on sea level rise (2023), with the not-for-profit Shared Future, where he is a Director. As part of his research role Pete is currently supporting members of the Cumbria Climate Assembly in their efforts to make a permanent climate assembly in Cumbria a reality.
His role at JUST and Tyndall at Manchester University brings together his work on democratic innovation, participatory research, and place-based approaches to climate governance. Internationally he has advised on deliberative climate governance in The Gambia, the Maldives and South Africa. Most recently he co-designed and led the design and delivery of a national citizens’ assembly for the largest workplace pension scheme in the UK; the Nest pension scheme.
For six years he was head of community engagement for Our Life, a social enterprise based in Manchester. Prior to that he worked for the award winning Campaign Bootcamp designing and delivering training for the Everyday Activism programme for people who are seldom heard that are interested in affecting change in their own communities.
He regularly uses a range of methodologies including participatory video, forum theatre, participatory budgeting and asset-based community development.
