Rhion Jones has been following the Air Quality court case Am I the only one struggling to understand the thinking behind avoiding controversies at the time of elections? In last week’s High Court battle between Client Earth and the Environment Secretary, the Government’s QC tried to explain why it should not release details of its […]
An Election without controversies? Are we mad? Read More »
Stratagem, in partnership with The Consultation Institute and in association with AECOM, is hosting ‘Best Practice Consultation – raising standards across these islands’. This free morning event will bring together practitioners and stakeholders in the consultation arena, aiming to foster discussion on the current best practice standards and look towards the best way forward for future
Government departments are now in purdah. For most of them this means that many of their on-going consultations should go ahead but no new public consultations should be launched. Earlier today the Department for Transport announced that they had cancelled five remaining public meetings as part of their consultation on the South Eastern rail franchise,
How does purdah work for government departments during a consultation? Read More »
The case for putting public consultations on a proper Statutory footing The classic complaint of the British voter is that politicians only listen when they are asking for votes. ‘We only see them at election time’, is the standard refrain. We are about to see them once again traipsing up and down our streets, admiring
When political parties promise Read More »
Rhion Jones proposes an Office of Public Consultation Manifesto-writers will be busy this weekend. If they follow previous form, they will commit to consult on many of their proposals that are – shall we say – a little unfinished. They will also probably make general noises about more transparent Government, and use words like ‘listen’
A manifesto commitment to better public engagement? Read More »
The country is preparing to go to the polls again. For Local Authorities and the NHS this means that many controversial decisions will be put on hold as the doctrine of Purdah means that public bodies shut down their policy-making efforts. Civil servants and commissioners avoid doing or saying anything that might favour outgoing Cabinet
Making the most of Purdah! Read More »
Earlier this week we received word that the House of Commons’ Select Committee on Health had launched an inquiry in the NHS Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs). This news got snowed under following NHS England’s ‘Next Steps’ report which we commented on earlier but it is very important it gets the attention it deserves. It
Health Select Committee launches inquiry into STPs Read More »
The tension in relationships between councillors and health commissioners is never more evident than in the run up to local elections. We can hardly blame politicians for acting politically, so it’s no surprise that as elections approach in England we see a flurry of calls for local health scrutiny committees to refer commissioners’ decisions for
Referring consultations to the Health Secretary: what actually happens? Read More »
The NHS in England has published its ‘Next Steps’ document, taking stock of progress against the Five Year Forward View (FYFV) and charting the way forward. It is an intimidating paper – full of detail and with enough acronyms for a dozen alphabets. For all that, it is also highly revealing and is worth serious
The NHS ‘Next Steps’ paper – and its implications for consultation and engagement Read More »
“Our NHS, our ‘national religion’, is in crisis and the adult social care system is on the brink of collapse.” The first line in the House of Lords’ report on the NHS long-term sustainability immediately sets a gloomy tone. The 134-page report was published yesterday after a 10-month inquiry into the future of the NHS.
Institute comments on slamming Select Committee’s report on NHS long-term sustainability Read More »
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