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When even Blue Peter has to apologise for misleading callers to its show, and virtually every other broadcaster has had to run for cover lest its practices be placed under scrutiny, you can be sure that something pretty rotten has been discovered. And for once it’s not politicians that stand accused of misleading the public! […]

We all know people who think they are skilled at “knocking heads together” – and very useful they are too for those occasions when deep seated intransigence or sheer obstinacy prevents issues from moving forward. True skills of consensus-building are vastly more subtle than the brute-force variety macho managers sometimes employ, and these skills need

If you look down a list of consultations from a range of public bodies, two things become immediately obvious. One is the sheer variety of topics and issues. The other is the number that appear to focus upon procedural rather than substantive matters. There are good reasons why this happens. Legislators are acutely conscious of

Developing strategies is not unlike having children. Many are conceived from committed parentage, and are nurtured in a loving and learning environment. But others are what we call orphans, the product of enthusiastic if short-lived liaisons, and then abandoned to compete for attention alongside others who face a similar fate. With the current fashion for

Almost everyone agrees that one of the biggest weaknesses of public and stakeholder consultation is inadequate feedback to respondents and the public. But, just for a moment, imagine the best, the most comprehensive feedback you’ve ever seen. None of the usual fudging (Many respondents wanted to see…..), ducking and weaving ( ..views on issues which

The Government’s proposed duty to inform, consult and involve is leading to some pretty deep discussions in many a public body. There is a lot of muddled thinking around as many of the words bandied about are gloriously imprecise and defy legislative definition. What’s becoming abundantly clear, however, is that there is an emerging consensus

Okay, so calling them “community kitties” maybe does the idea less than justice. But, had Hazel Blears used the term “participatory budgeting”, who’d have bothered to look twice at these proposals? The question is Will they work? and do they offer anything beyond the existing myriad of public engagement methods? There are plenty of doubters.

If you work in the general field of public participation, chances are that your organisation has issued some form of Guidelines to help you do your job. They may not be called Guidelines, and may take the style of a Framework, a Policy document or even a Code of Practice, but they all share the

Our thoughts this week are undoubtedly with tens of thousands of residents in Gloucestershire and elsewhere, who, as this topic is being written are flooded out, without drinking water, and maybe without electricity. A month ago it was Hull and Sheffield; a few years ago it was York and Carlisle. So how much discussion has

In England, the Local Government Minister has thrown a substantial grenade towards a large number of Councils by announcing nine successful bids for Unitary status, and thereby sealing the fate of over 30 District Councils. The creation of new Unitary Authorities for Cornwall, Durham, Northumberland, Shropshire, Wiltshire, Ipswich and Exeter will delight many who see