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Were all consultations simple Yes/No votes, life would probably be simpler. Dumbed-down, maybe; but without doubt simpler! In reality, however, policy-making at all levels is complex and there are shades of opinion or nuances of approach which are seldom picked up when we opt for over-simplistic dialogues. The truth is that consultees often want to […]

If you’re among the titans of British business – or even merely a Government Minister – your acolytes gather around and solemnly advise that you should hold sensitive meetings on your own “territory”. This, they say, gives you a psychological advantage and makes the others acknowledge your position. Selecting the right venue can exercise a

Focus Groups – among those responsible for organising public participation or consultation, their popularity is beyond question. Along with surveys and questionnaires, they are the most often quoted technique used in the public sector today. But are they always used in the right way or at the right time? Commercial concerns use Focus Groups to

Those who work with community involvement or consultation are familiar with Gatekeepers. They are often worthy, salt-of-the earth types whose hearts are always in the right place, and who are invariably committed to their cause. It is their names and addresses that are on your databases. They receive the invitation to attend meetings; the envelope

Consultation comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some are tightly targeted; often highly technical, using a specialist vocabulary and part of a continuing dialogue with known stakeholders. Others are meant for a wider audience, couched in more general terms and deliberately simplify complex issues in order to elicit the views of the public

Dear Sirs, We write in greatest indignation upon hearing that your Authority has decided this year, to cease the practice of referring to us as The Wise Men. For generations, and certainly prior to the 1832 Reform Act, we have enjoyed a particular status in this country, and have regularly been depicted on Xmas cards,

On Monday 4th December, the Disability Equality Duty came into force. It means that public bodies have to ensure the involvement of disabled people in many aspects of their work, and this will be codified in their Disability Equality Schemes. Civil Servants and Local Government Officers have spent much of this year preparing for this

One of the abiding characteristics of our public service is obedience to the law – and a reluctance to take risks by over-reaching ourselves. There’s an old rule of thumb that states that if it isn’t expressly allowed … in writing…. then you better assume it’s forbidden! The private sector has traditionally followed the opposite

Those with long memories may remember something called The Pepsi Challenge. Effectively this was a blind test to see whether consumers preferred the taste of traditional Coca-Cola or the fiercely competitive upstart – Pepsi Cola. So damaging was this to Coca Cola that on the strength of overwhelming evidence that Pepsi was preferred, they abandoned