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The short answer is that no-one has worried… until now. There is little or no significant literature on the theory of consultation, let alone how it works in practice. References to Sherry Arnstein’s work in the US half a century ago focused on her labelling it “tokenistic”, and there is no shortage of critics who […]

This morning, the latest piece of advice from the Independent Reconfiguration Panel was published regarding the South Tyneside and Sunderland referral. We will take the time to digest the information from the IRP Report. You can expect a summary of our interpretation, and learning points from the Institute shortly. In the meantime, you can find

Five factors to help you organise the first hearings You don’t have to read The Politics of Consultation to appreciate the need to offset the big push towards digital consultation with more visible face-to-face dialogues. Institute Briefing 35 on The Case for Public Consultation Hearings provides the rationale for this new development, and points to the many advantages

Lack of evidence-base meant a decision was irrational. We have been looking again at a little noticed High Court judgment from late June (R (ex parte Law Centres Federation) v The Lord Chancellor) where the Ministry of Justice was successfully challenged on decisions to reduce the number of contractors participating in the Housing Possession Court

Consultation is part of a long chain of communications. What happens when important links in the chain are broken? Twelve years ago, the term “broken links” was new – part of the new vocabulary that arrived with the advent of the internet. By now we all relate to it as that infuriating moment when you

Consultations in the SouthEast arouse passion…….is there a simple answer? We are probably all aware that councils are legally obliged by law to prepare a regular Local Plan to address housing needs and planning in their area. MOST councils do this reasonably well, and are under way for the current round. However, as we speak

Lessons from the Northants County Libraries judicial review. Rumour has it that there are several councils in danger of following Northamptonshire towards a similar financial plight. If so, they need to pay attention for the High Court has ruled against Northants’ decision to make cuts in its Libraries provision. A cash crisis evidently does not

One of the success-stories of the last of decades has been the gradual acceptance by consultors, that their attempts to engage stakeholders and the public have to be more socially inclusive. Seeking the views of the usual suspects was always easier than building relationships with communities and groups who are less accustomed to the culture and processes of