Agenda item

Community Engagement and Consultation - A One Council Approach

Minutes:

A presentation was made on the One Council approach the authority was seeking to take to strengthen community engagement and consultation.

 

The Service Lead Communities & Leisure informed the Committee that the Council had recognised the need for greater coordination and consistency in the way in which it engaged with communities.  The One Council approach had been developed by a cross council project group established in 2017, with the intention of reducing duplication and to prevent ‘consultation fatigue.’  In addition, improvements had been made to the manner in which subsequent feedback to communities and residents were made following the outcome of a consultation.  A tool kit had been developed to support staff to engage effectively and ensure good practice across the Council.  The work that had been undertaken in Manor Park to promote community organising and social action was explained.  It was considered to have been effective in improving engagement and empowerment and that more successful outcomes had been achieved by working with local people.  The key lessons included understanding what communities wanted; providing clear and timely feedback on the actions taken; and working with communities to manage expectations.  The next step was the roll out of the Council’s health and attractive neighbourhoods initiative in Langley Kedermister, Foxborough and Chalvey.

 

(Councillor Sharif joined the meeting)

 

The Committee welcome the principles of the approach outlined and had a wide ranging discussion which is summarised as follows:

 

·  Members emphasised the importance of reaching out to a wide range of people to fully understand local need, not only those who were already engaged or prominent within the community.

·  The approach taken in Manor Park was praised by a Ward Member and the feedback from residents had been excellent.

·  Members referred to the previous Sector Forums that they considered to have been successful and the various engagement methods were discussed.  Different methods and tools would be used in each case depending on the issue or area to maximise the effectiveness of the engagement.

·  A Member highlighted the concerns of many residents in Chalvey about the perceived lack of effective engagement in the proposed redevelopment of Tower & Ashbourne Houses which perhaps indicated that not all Council departments were using the best practice approach outlined.  The comments were noted and the Officer responded generally that the approach being developed was Council-wide and would include liaison with all relevant departments to engage in a better way.

·  Members highlighted examples of consultations in the past which they did not feel had been effective and asked how the One Council approach would make a difference in the future.  It was recognised that a ‘one size fits all’ approach was not viable given the wide range of different types of consultation and engagement activity, however, the approach aimed to ensure greater consistency in how engagement was done.

·  The roll out was discussed and Members asked how areas were chosen and when activity would take place.  It was noted that ward with the highest levels of deprivation were selected first and that survey work would commence shortly after the elections focusing on the particular local issues in Langley Kedermister, Foxborough and Chalvey.

·  Members noted the need to focus and prioritise on communities with the greatest need first, but hoped that the approach could be extended across the borough, particularly where there was major regeneration taken place to ensure residents’ voices could be heard.

 

At the conclusion of the discussion the Committee noted that work being taken and agreed that future consultations by the Council utilise the One Council approach and tool kit.

 

Resolved –

 

(a)  That details of the report and the approach developed based on best practice and case studies including Manor Park be noted.

 

(b)  That future Council consultations be carried out using the One Council approach and toolkit.

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