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The road to consultation has two distinct aspects – procedural and substantive. Organisers of consultations these days are quite familiar with the necessary preparations for such a formal engagement exercise. We normally refer to the procedural elements as pre-consultation, and expect it to cover discussions with key stakeholders about the form the dialogue should take – methods, venues, timings […]

In a world where consultation fatigue is a real issue – and organisations have to work hard to get citizens and stakeholders interested – it may be surprising to note how many consultations fall short of offering them anything meaningful to consider. In the ideal model, the consultor lays out the context for a forthcoming decision, explains the constraints,

There’s an old stock market adage: – ‘Sell in May… and go away…” These days we can replace it with – ‘Challenge a consultation in June/July, and hear the outcome in August…’ How else can we explain the spate of judgments handed down in the last three weeks – and holding enormous significance for anyone

Few people deny that there is threat to democracy in the widespread intimidation of politicians, particularly women, and the Committee on Standards in Public Life published a strong Report on the subject last December. It made 33 recommendations and the Government is now seeking to implement some of these by consulting on a new electoral

Last Friday’s judgment in the case of Kohler v MOPAC has rightly prompted considerable discussion. Our Briefing Note has certainly added to the degree of interest. A popular reaction is that Judges cannot possibly be serious in suggesting that decision-makers should read the submission of a particular consultee. Yet that is what they appeared to