We have recently seen a spate of postponements. Consultations which were poised and ready to be announced are suddenly stopped in their tracks. Documents are sent back for further consideration; website pages are hurriedly amended, and the odd village hall booking has to be re-scheduled.
A helpful hesitation – What lessons do we draw from delays to consultation? Read More »
The Party political conference season is a great moment to reflect on the difference between headline-grabbing policy announcements and the more mundane detail that makes them happen. Our politicians know they need to sketch out the direction of their thinking, but recognise that going beyond generalities offers many a hostage to fortune.
The infamous tick-box gets the blame for a lot. In the world of consultation, it is a regular refrain, with two different meanings. One is the criticism that the consultation isn’t a really serious attempt to listen at all – the consultor is just ‘going through the motions’, because the organisation is expected to undertake
Just when we thought that elections for Police Commissioners were going to be the biggest non-event ever, the Hillsborough cover-up gives us all a reason to take them seriously. Or does it? Had we had elected Commissioners, of the kind now planned, in place over the last 23 years, would it either have prevented the
We all know the traditional model of consultation. A document is launched, a period of time is set and consultees have until the published end-date to respond, answer whatever questions are asked or make their submissions so that the decision-makers can take these views into account. We have a ‘twelve-week rule’ – except it isn’t
This is the fourth attempt (over 13 years) to prescribe a set of rules for Government departments and other public bodies to conduct public and stakeholder consultations. And in many ways it is the most interesting, for it needs to cope with a very different world, and meet the admirable goal of being more succinct,
Public service planners are facing a very awkward dilemma. If they adopt an optimistic view of available public expenditure – and assume a slow return to economic growth, they can limit proposed changes to public services to those that are necessary to balance the books over the medium term. Just enough cuts to get us
The thin end of the wedge – Public consultations in an age of uncertainty Read More »
Public consultations are beginning to play a rather different role in some organisations. Traditionally, they have been used to inform policy-makers who need to take account of a range of opinions before arriving at their conclusions. Equally they have helped public bodies handle important debates where difficult decisions have to be taken. We know they
Those of us deeply involved with public consultations on a daily basis can easily overlook the wider context of our work. Whilst there are lots of other reasons for organising a consultation, one of the most important is to help politicians, civil servants, senior Managers and others make policy. It has never been easy, but
We live in uncertain times and with conflicting visions of our future. Right now it is as difficult to predict what will happen to the private sector as to the public sector. Amid the diverse predictions, there is but one constant – the overwhelming likelihood of change. But, when it comes to public services, so
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