A common critique of public consultation is that it tends to tell you little more than you knew already. In theory, a well-run consultation should add considerably to the evidence available to decision-makers but the hard truth is that many organisations feel they already know all the arguments and that no amount of further dialogue […]
Now that everyone watches the Great British Bake-off, there is probably less need to explain the English idiom ’half-baked’ to anyone. Experienced public engagement professionals will, however recognise two types of proposals that may attract the criticism of being ‘half-baked’. One covers those ideas that stand little chance of appealing to anyone, where the idea
Does the language of political commitments suggest the likelihood of public consultations? One clear advantage to having a majority Government once again is that its agenda should be discernible from a single pre-election document – in this case the Conservative Party Manifesto. Some of us had erroneously assumed that the source document that matters might
Beyond the Manifesto Read More »
If we lived in Spain…or India…or Poland, we could vote for ‘None of the Above’ or NOTA. It is also the title of a book published last month by journalist Rick Edwards who specifically seeks to persuade younger voters that it is worth taking part in the forthcoming General Election, even if there is little
With public consultations, the Lady Macbeth principle generally applies. “If … when ‘tis done, then ‘twere well, if were done quickly” (Act 1; scene 7) There are many reasons for this. Not only should public bodies act decisively and minimise the disruption and uncertainties when significant policy or practice changes are in the offing. But
The case for consultation is largely made and won. True, there are progressive voices claiming that it does not go far enough and calling for shared decision-making, though at least some of this is hugely optimistic given the continuing reluctance of those in office to relinquish much of their power. But consultation still has one
The House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee is probably not the best-known body in Parliament. But it is the one group of Parliamentarians collectively tackling some of the issues arising from the Government’s peremptory changes to the Consultation Code of Practice in 2012. Just to refresh memories, the 2008 Code of Practice, widely regarded
Picture the scene! We spend a couple of days in a restored thirteenth century barn that’s now part of a hotel in Bedford. Assembled are almost twenty of the Institute’s Associates for an annual update in our New Year Conference – an important opportunity to consider recent developments and the ever-changing world of public engagement.
Proposals for change in our public services are often misunderstood by consultees. They are seen as single one-off initiatives – whereas the reality is that they are the latest iteration of a sequence of decisions. In other words, the choice in one consultation has often been largely influenced by something that has gone on before.
It is now ten years since we developed the Consultation Charter. In that time, there has been only one significant change, when the Principle of Confidentiality was replaced by a Principle of Transparency. The change was occasioned by the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act and the move towards openness and transparency becoming the
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