The local letters column is an invaluable space for free advertising. Choose an issue which local people feel strongly about, and write suggesting that the council holds a referendum on it. Get on to local radio phone-in programmes. They are often short of callers, so this can be an ideal opportunity to get your ideas across to a wider audience. Write to the national press also.
Parliamentary reform is still in the air.
The House of Lords has been altered and will be reformed further in the not too distant futures, so lots of scope for suggesting that Direct Democracy could have a part to play here. If so work on your party colleagues to accept the idea of Direct democracy . Each of the parties stands to gain votes by advocating Direct democracy in future election manifestos, and whichever party does it first, will gain the greatest electoral benefit. Run your own referendum. We do it anyway, every time we have a friendly argument with acquaintances on some issue of the day.