Making Participation Happen
How can Authorities lay the foundations for meaningful public participation?
Turning high-level ambition for public participation into meaningful engagement processes on the ground can be challenging and requires a strategy for public participation to be put in place in an Authority. Without a strategy, ad-hoc engagement and one-way consultation processes can lead to an erosion of trust and confidence, and a failure to ensure the best outcomes for local people and places.
Drawing on experience from year-long placements (April 2019 - 2020) Umi Baden-Powell and Olivia Halper produced this Practice Note (published August 2020) to consider actions that officers can take to develop and deliver an effective strategy for public participation which embeds dialogue and collaboration from the outset.
The note provides three key recommendations:
- Identify and allocate roles
- Take stock of opportunities and constraints
- Initiate dialogue and collaboration
- Assemble a toolkit
To support these recommendations, a package of workshop templates for local authority officers to use can be found here.
Download the Practice Note in full below.
Making Participation Happen
Making Participation Happen: Authority Participation Strategy Workshops Toolkit
Tool
Making Participation Happen: The case for a dedicated community engagement officer
Blog
Associated Resources:
Workshops For Engaging Young People in Strategic Planning
Tool
How can Authorities best involve young people in planning and regeneration?
Practice Note
How can Authorities use online platforms to facilitate meaningful participation?
Practice Note
How can local authorities facilitate meanwhile use for long-term community benefit?
Practice Note
How can Authorities use digital and in-person methods for better statutory consultation?
Practice Note
Digital Engagement Tools Comparison Matrix
Tool