Originally published 20 December 2005. This article is retained from the tCI archive. Law, policy or practice may have changed since publication.
Confidence is a fragile commodity and nowhere has this been better demonstrated than in the recent debate following Mathew Parris' article in The Times ( 'Don't ask my opinion; don't consult, engage or include; just lead' - February 26th)
Using the journalistic licence to exaggerate, Parris' case was that the Edinburgh referendum on a proposed Congestion Charge was a good example of weak political leadership, and - in his words - consultation is a cop-out. The Institute published a robust response entitled In Defence of Consultation, but the fact remains that Parris has a point, and that there are many people that agree with him. The main issue, however, is the need to think carefully before commencing a consultation exercise. The public - and the media in particular - are adept at spotting those occasions where asking stakeholders is a sign on weakness or indecisiveness - arguably Edinburgh was a case in point.
Inappropriate consultations, or exercises where people reasonably believe the decision to have already been taken, just bring the entire concept into disrepute. They waste public money and build false expectations. Stakeholder time is wasted and policy implementation is delayed.
Because consultation is seen by many as a generic good thing there is a temptation to overuse it. Parris talks of buzz-phraseology and there is without doubt rather too much loose language around the citizen engagement idea. But he is wrong to suggest that all consultation is misguided. What is needed is a robust set of guidelines as to when it is appropriate, and when it is not. These should include a requirement that the exercise should yield insights or information not currently available to those who frame policies or take decisions. In short, we need to ask a sensible question - and then we may receive sensible answers. Trigger points
- Focus on a sound methodology to authorize a consultation exercise: consider the Institute's forthcoming Consultation: Before & After course.
- Read In Defence of Consultation - the reply to Mathew Parris
- Master the vocabulary - use the Institute's Glossary
- Use the Silly or Sensible Question? test
This is the 33rd Tuesday Topic; a full list of subjects covered is available for Institute members and is a valuable resource covering so many aspects of consultation and engagement