Council announces £350 million civic partnership
Published 14 February
Beverley and Holderness Council has today announced a landmark £350 million civic partnership to reconnect residents with the democratic process and to counter online disinformation.
The Digital Civic Engagement Programme is jointly funded by Beverley and Holderness Council, Humberside City Council and the Rotherham Cultural Investment Board, and delivered by the UK Political Education Forum. It is believed to be the largest single investment in civic education ever made at local authority level.
The programme forms part of the Council's ongoing commitment to place, prosperity and pride, and supports its wider ambition to be recognised as a national leader in digital civic participation.
About Boriswave
At the centre of the programme is the Digital Civic Engagement Portal, a free interactive experience titled Boriswave. Players guide a figure across a series of waves, each representing the level of migration to the United Kingdom in a given year since 1948. The experience is accessible on any device and requires no account.
The experience is designed to combat the spread of online disinformation surrounding the so-called "Boriswave", a period of increased and valuable migration to the United Kingdom since 2021. The term "Boriswave" has been used as a satirical and, at times, derogatory term among the online far right. The programme reclaims the term as a tool for civic education, mutual understanding and evidence-based discussion.
Davidson, a representative of the UK Political Education Forum, said:
"Boriswave meets people where they are. Disinformation spreads because it is engaging, so our answer is to be more engaging still. By the end, players come to understand that migration since 2021 has been overwhelmingly valuable, and that those who suggest otherwise are, more often than not, not arguing in good faith. We are grateful to our partners in local government for their vision and their generosity."
A shared investment
Councillor Diane Motson, Cabinet Member for Place, Prosperity and Digital Inclusion, said:
"For too long, residents have felt that decisions are made without them. This partnership changes that. We are proud to have secured investment of this scale, and prouder still of what it will mean for the people of Beverley and Holderness. This is what ambitious local government looks like."
Humberside City Council welcomed the announcement, describing the programme as "a bold and necessary investment in the civic life of the region". The Rotherham Cultural Investment Board said it was "delighted to support a project of this cultural significance", adding that the partnership "reflects our continued confidence in transformational placemaking".
Take part
Boriswave is free and open to all residents. No account is required.
This programme has been jointly funded by
