Reflecting the Council Plan vision to be at the heart of the borough’s communities, empower residents and embed a strong and inclusive approach to engagement - the council’s new Consultation Policy builds on current guidance by emphasising the benefits of consulting effectively and better align with LGA best practice.
Giving clarity on the legal requirements and setting out the standards expected to ensure consistency and high-quality consultation, the policy also includes extending the minimum length of most consultations to six weeks - giving residents longer to have their say.
The move is boosted by an internal Consultation Panel being introduced to give oversight of cross-council consultation activity - reducing duplication, contradiction, and helping to ensure information gathered is utilised in the most impactful way. The panel is also supported by the council’s Consultation Champion.
More detail on each of the steps involved in the consultation process are included in a supporting internal ‘toolkit’ for council teams looking to consult, which also provides templates and resources to bring consistency to their approach.
The Council’s Leader, Cllr Simon Werner, said: “Consultation is front and centre of our vision for the borough and to put the council at the heart of the borough’s communities.
“By introducing this new Consultation Policy we’re demonstrating the importance we put on empowering residents and embedding an inclusive approach to engagement across the council - ensuring we hear residents’ views, and they have a chance to influence the decisions we make.”
The council’s Consultation Champion, Cllr Chris Moriarty, said: “We’ve been working with officers over the past couple of years to strengthen the approach and process around consultations with residents.
"So much progress has been made and this policy is the culmination of that work. It’s also critical to ensuring that the views and experiences of our residents are firmly within the council’s decision-making processes in a consistent and transparent way.”