Members receive our briefings, bulletins and the National Consultation Digest, so the developments that affect your consultations reach you before they reach the courts.

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i The National Consultation Digest, every fortnight ii Communities of Interest: sustained work on a single topic iii Coffee Mornings: informal peer sessions every month iv Training that turns the reading into practice

Articles on Consultation & Engagement.

Older articles

Nothing but the truth – Are we paying enough attention to the quality of data that underpin our consultations?

Closer to home – How can we consult the public in good conscience when we don’t even to listen to our own colleagues?

Promoting democracy – Is the Government right to have cold feet about the ‘duty to promote democracy’ ?

Are we listening? – The difference between “Do we hear?” and “Do we agree?”

Petition Power – Anticipating the ‘duty to respond’: What every local authority must consider

Getting out there – Go to meet them’ is good advice, but it’s more complicated than that!

Say No to consultation – Are there occasions when it might be better NOT to consult

Donate your experience! – The importance of gathering customer stories … and acting upon them

High blood pressure – Have we the means to detect important changes to the body politic?

Power to those who turn up – What are the dynamics of increasingly popular ‘public’ events?

Consultation & Copenhagen – How do we influence major world-wide negotiations on issues like climate change?

Apathy – real or imagined? – Do few participants indicate a lack of interest or a lack of competence?

Co-design – How useful is it to involve more people in developing solutions?

Half-hearted participation – How to secure fuller commitment?

Sounding off! – Is consultation a safety-valve for people to let off steam?

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