Tuesday Topic

We all know people who think they are skilled at “knocking heads together” – and very useful they are too for those occasions when deep seated intransigence or sheer obstinacy […]

If you look down a list of consultations from a range of public bodies, two things become immediately obvious. One is the sheer variety of topics and issues. The other

Developing strategies is not unlike having children. Many are conceived from committed parentage, and are nurtured in a loving and learning environment. But others are what we call orphans, the

Almost everyone agrees that one of the biggest weaknesses of public and stakeholder consultation is inadequate feedback to respondents and the public. But, just for a moment, imagine the best,

The Government’s proposed duty to inform, consult and involve is leading to some pretty deep discussions in many a public body. There is a lot of muddled thinking around as

Okay, so calling them “community kitties” maybe does the idea less than justice. But, had Hazel Blears used the term “participatory budgeting”, who’d have bothered to look twice at these

If you work in the general field of public participation, chances are that your organisation has issued some form of Guidelines to help you do your job. They may not

Our thoughts this week are undoubtedly with tens of thousands of residents in Gloucestershire and elsewhere, who, as this topic is being written are flooded out, without drinking water, and

In England, the Local Government Minister has thrown a substantial grenade towards a large number of Councils by announcing nine successful bids for Unitary status, and thereby sealing the fate

One of the biggest trends in consultation is away from the big fat document and towards participative events. These come in different shapes and sizes and sport a variety of