The London Borough of Hackney has become the latest Council to be dragged to the High Court to defend its decisions on special educational needs or SEN. It follows Bristol City which lost an important test case in August and Surrey which is nervously expecting a judgment on its own case any day now. The […]
Special educational needs becomes the new battleground for consultation Read More »
The Raynsford Review and the Potential for Greater Community Involvement in Planning Commentary from the Consultation Institute Penny Norton, from the Consultation Institute, considers the potential for greater community involvement in planning and looks at the characteristics of involvement good practice. I am frequently asked whether consultation is a legal requirement in planning. The fact that it is
Towards efficient and meaningful consultation Read More »
How consultation practice has been influenced by the austerity agenda. Fifteen years ago, when the Consultation Institute was founded, there was a wider range of public consultations. We labelled some of them ‘aspirational’. They asked people what they would like, often in the guise of ‘Vision’ statements for local authorities or policy areas. Money was
Have we forgotten how to consult on good news? Read More »
Writing the Politics of Consultation obliged Elizabeth Gammell and myself to confront some uncomfortable truths – primarily that the ‘politics’ can often frustrate even the best-organised attempts to involve the public. Not electoral, representational politics exclusively, even though this is important. Wherever power is exercised, or even ‘perceived’ it can affect the behaviour of institutions, organisations
How the Transgender issue plays into The Politics of Consultation Read More »
With hundreds of Government consultations every year – and thousands run by local authorities, the NHS and other public bodies, who can tell if any one of them is fair? The Institute has fifteen years of experience and has worked with hundreds of organisations to improve the quality of such public engagement exercises. And what
Is THIS consultation best practice? Read More »
Within weeks of publishing The Politics of Consultation, we have a great example of the issues that can arise. Equalities minister, Penny Mordaunt’s consultation on the Reform of the Gender Recognition Act closes today after a bitter and acrimonious row between those who characterise themselves as pro-transgender, and women’s rights/feminist activists who disagree with some
Closing date politics: MPs demand withdrawal of a controversial consultation Read More »
Engaging with stakeholders during planning processes has historically been limited to delivering a consultation tick in the box rather than a fundamental and valuable part of the development process, and for some developers this remains the case. However, engaging stakeholders at the earliest stages of a development is more important than ever before, especially with
Four important steps to ensure a responsible response. It’s called a Letter before claim or sometimes a Letter before action and will normally find its way to your in-house legal team or an external firm of solicitors. Technically it will not be challenging the consultation – but a decision taken following a consultation. In all
When your consultation is legally challenged… Read More »
Time to take stock on the challenge of integrating health and social care Three months ago, just as everyone enjoyed the uncharacteristic heatwave, the National Audit Office (NAO) published a little-noticed Report called the health and social care interface. Sir Amyas Morse, the Auditor General, admits that some might find it ‘discouraging’. It certainly turns
Councils, the NHS and consultations Read More »
Since writing The Politics of Consultation, Elizabeth Gammell and I have been struck by readers’ reactions to the many stories we recount, and the growing realisation that so many consultations are affected by political interventions – great and small. The question that mostly arises is to what extent are these factors foreseeable? Is it possible
Consultations and political interventions Read More »
Update coming soon
View our frequently asked questions or contact our dedicated account manager for further support.
You can reset your password here. If you’re still having issues, please send us a message below.
We have many ways you can pay for your membership.
You can renew/upgrade your membership here.
To find out more, send us a message below.
You will receive a reminder email from our dedicated membership account manager 4 weeks before your renewal date. This email will contain all the information you need to renew.
You can also renew your membership online here.
You can update your contact details here. Alternatively, please send a message to our membership account manager below.
Please send a message to our membership account manager below.Â
Our dedicated Membership Account Manager is on
hand to assist with any questions you might have.
Leave a message and our team will call you back
"*" indicates required fields
We’ll be in touch with you soon.
