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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

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,