Scrapping Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) may look like an efficiency gain – but it risks widening the gap between police and the public. The government’s own figures note turnout and awareness have been “incredibly low” for PCCs, with around 2-in-5 people not even knowing who their PCC is. These challenges, however, don’t stem from […]
The challenge: 500 identical campaign emails arrive overnight. Most teams either delete them (triggering a Gunning Principle 4 breach) or count each as independent evidence (distorting the analysis). Both approaches create grounds for judicial review. The cost: Wasted consultation effort. Loss of public trust. Legal challenge that exposes your process as arbitrary. What works: Count every submission. Aggregate
The Challenge: Making Change That Sticks You need to transform services. The financial pressures are real, the quality imperatives are clear, and doing nothing isn’t an option. But here’s the problem: a technically sound Case for Change can still fail spectacularly if it hasn’t earned legitimacy with the people it affects. NHS England’s 2025 reforms,
Building Your ‘Case for Change’: Why Consultation Is Your Strategic Foundation Read More »
Challenges Consultation analysis gets challenged when you can’t prove you listened fairly. The common failure mode: hundreds of comments reduced to a sentiment percentage (“72% support”) with no clarity on why people objected, what would mitigate the impacts, or how protected groups are affected. Decision-makers can’t act on that. Legal teams flag predetermination risk. And
Code framing for Consultations: From Messy Text to Decisions you can Stand Behind Read More »
The Public Sector Equality Duty isn’t optional process theatre. It’s the first place campaign groups and lawyers look when challenging decisions that disadvantage protected groups. In the last 18 months, three cases have fundamentally reshaped what defensible compliance looks like and widened the gap between organisations that treat PSED as a checklist versus those who
Public bodies have a legal duty to consult fairly. Gunning Principle 2 requires providing consultees with “enough information to enable them to give intelligent consideration to the issue at hand.” In practice, this means consultation materials must be clear, accessible, and comprehensive—not dense jargon, but information the public can understand and use. This article explores
Clear and Accessible: Meeting Gunning Principle 2 in Public Consultations Read More »
Public consultations surface rich lived experience: stories, frustrations, workarounds, and everyday wisdom from people affected by change. For consultation managers and engagement officers, the challenge isn’t collecting these narratives—it’s converting them into evidence that is both decision-useful and legally defensible. 1. Start with Fair Collection The Gunning Principles set the legal baseline. Proposals must be
Converting Lived Experience into Lawful Evidence Read More »
A public consultation is only lawful if it happens while proposals are still open to change. Consult after you’ve effectively decided, and you risk judicial review, expensive delays, and a collapse in public trust. The risk is real. Courts have thrown out consultations that began after decisions were effectively made. One council lost its case
From initiatives encouraging active travel to digital service adoption, today’s public policies increasingly require citizens to alter established habits. Behaviour change interventions—ranging from subtle nudges to targeted support programmes—have regained prominence in public engagement, but with a more refined approach than the initial enthusiasm of the 2010s. Communications and engagement professionals now frequently ask how
Behaviour Change: Where Interventions Fit in Public Consultation Read More »
With the UK aiming to have half of short urban journeys walked, wheeled, or cycled by 2030, local authorities must implement strategies that change mobility habits. Success depends on more than infrastructure; it requires genuine support from businesses, residents, community groups, and underrepresented voices. Understanding Stakeholders Start by identifying who is affected and their concerns.
Active Travel: Gaining Stakeholder Support and Promoting Inclusion Read More »
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