The long-awaited White Paper - Communities in control was published on July 9th 2008, and coincides with a number of other Government publications relevant to public engagement.

This paper is an attempt to brief Institute members on those aspects that are likely to be of most interest, and highlights issues which may need attention in public bodies or associated organisations.

The White Paper itself breaks new ground in a number of ways. In presentation terms, there is an attempt to eschew the traditional style and offer a more accessible format – complete with quotations from Aristotle, Mahatma Gandhi, the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy ...and the Chief Executive of Tesco.

By Davy Jones. The Consultation Institute's briefing on the concept behind Community Kitties and other initiatives

The Consultation Institute’s reaction to the Local Government White Paper: Strong & Prosperous Communities

The intention of this survey, carried out by The Consultation Institute, is to provide a snapshot of the status of Consultation as a democratic service on the websites of the Local Authorities of England. It was carried out over a period of 3 weeks from the end of April to the beginning of May 2006.

This paper seeks to explore some of the issues which public sector organisations and others who need to consult the public or key stakeholders need to consider.

Public and stakeholder consultation has never been more actively undertaken in the UK public sector. Yet there is much uncertainty as to whether society benefits from this level of public engagement.

This white paper outlines those characteristics of the current consultation culture that makes evaluation a necessary part of the process. It notes the wide range of techniques involved in consultation exercises and recognises that this factor, taken with the rapid growth in consultation activity and the relative lack of training for many of the staff involved, produces a wide disparity in the standards observed and the professionalism displayed in this activity.

     We believe that we need to continue the shift in Public sector management culture towards a clear obligation to conduct regular meaningful consultation with customers or clients, and to regard successful performance as a matter of being able to demonstrate that the views of such people have been fully considered in its policies and operational activities.

This Paper looks at the particular issue of consumer consultation, and although this clearly applies in both the commercial and public sectors, this paper will focus on the delivery of public services in Scotland and the need to improve upon current arrangements for heeding the views of consumers.

This Discussion paper explores some of the issues which arise, and seeks to stimulate debate among Institute members so that a consensus can emerge as to best practice in relevant areas.

Writing in The Times on February 26th 2005, Mathew Parris describes consultation as a "cop-out", and argues that the citizens of Edinburgh should never have been asked to vote in a Referendum on a proposed Congestion Charge. In a wide-ranging polemic, he dismisses concepts of reaching out, inclusion and listening and engagement" as "fatuous buzz-phraseology" and "perfect nonsense"

This Briefing Paper by Rhion Jones is a response from The Consultation Institute to Mathew Parris' arguments.

Politicians sometimes have a happy knack of finding just the right phrase – but not always at the right time.

Long before the final votes of the General Election were counted, Tony Blair emphasised how he had listened – and learnt. Other ministers were quick to emphasise the need to listen to the will of the people.

The irony is that explosive growth of the consultation culture means that we have already experienced a huge increase in the number of Government consultations. There is today an unprecedented emphasis on public engagement. If there is a shortage of listening, then it is not for the want of trying!

This Briefing Paper tries to make sense of this conundrum, offers some practical suggestions, and presents the new Government with a clear three-point agenda that should help it, and the public it serves, to benefit more from the listening process.

This Briefing paper is meant to act as a thought-starter for those who need to look at their inventory of consultation-related skills and know-how. It may act as a complete blueprint, or just as a means of filling gaps in a Council’s existing understanding or an action plan that is already being implemented.

This paper looks at the implications for those engaged in public and stakeholder consultations. The Consultation Institute estimates that there are over 5,000 staff engaged for significant parts of their time in these activities, and there are a range of questions and issues which arise from an examination of what Gershon proposes, and what the Government intends.

In summary - the Institute believes that Gershon amounts to a big boost for public and stakeholder consultations - and for public engagement as a whole. BUT it also poses a number of important challenges.