With Health Overview and Scrutiny Committees referring an increasing number of NHS service change processes for inadequate involvement, commissioners are under pressure to show not just that engagement happened, but that the right method was used. This article sets out the main engagement methods, what each delivers, and how to match the approach to the […]
Engagement Methods for NHS Service Redesign Read More »
Scrutiny committees, from House of Commons select committees to local government overview and scrutiny bodies, apply a consistent evidential test to public engagement. Most organisations discover what that test involves only after their evidence has been challenged. This article sets out the standard and where submissions most commonly fall short. What is the legal standard
Public engagement evidence: the scrutiny committee test Read More »
In 2016 the courts quashed a devolution consultation because the questions did not ask what needed to be asked. Standards improved for a few years. They are now deteriorating again. This article examines what the Sheffield case established, why the lessons keep being lost, and what organisations must do before the next consultation questionnaire goes
Consultation questionnaire design: the legal risk organisations keep repeating Read More »
In 2026, running effective and legally defensible public consultation demands far more than process expertise. Entrenched public views, community distrust and increasingly contested decisions mean practitioners now need competencies in people management, mediation, conflict resolution and counselling-adjacent practice. This article sets out what those skills and competencies look like. Why is the practitioner’s role more
Consultation training in 2026: the skills practitioners need now Read More »
AI is being used to analyse consultations and produce EqIAs. Here is why the legal risk under the PSED and Gunning principles may be greater than decision-makers realise.
AI in consultation analysis: the legal risks Read More »
Most equality impact assessments do not meet the full requirements of the Public Sector Equality Duty. Here is where the legal risk actually sits.
Equality Analysis and the PSED: Is Your EqIA Good Enough? Read More »
Newly elected councillors often assume a mandate justifies moving fast. The law disagrees. What new members must know about consultation law.
Newly elected councillors: what consultation law requires Read More »
New unitary authorities inherit their predecessors’ consultation obligations. Reorganisation is not a legal clean slate.
Does Reorganisation Reset Your Consultation Duties? Read More »
SEND budget cuts: why councils face judicial review
SEND budget cuts: why councils face judicial review Read More »
The Greater Manchester case confirmed what lawful bus franchising consultation looks like. Here is what every transport authority needs to know..
Bus franchising consultation: lessons from Greater Manchester Read More »
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