1 day
Duration
£295+VAT
Public · per delegate
POA
In-house
30 CPD
Credits
Fig. 01 · The four Gunning Principles
01Overview
Get consultation right, and get it legally sound.
Public bodies consult against a backdrop of hard-won case law. When a consultation is challenged, it is judged against established legal tests: and getting them wrong can see a decision quashed, at real cost in time, money and trust.
This course demystifies the law. You will work through the Gunning Principles, the duty to consult, the conscientious consideration of responses and the most influential judgments, and leave able to design exercises that stand up to scrutiny.
02Learning outcomes
What you'll take away
Delegates leave able to plan and defend a consultation that meets its legal obligations.
01Explain the legal basis for consultation and when a duty to consult arises
02Apply the four Gunning Principles to your own exercises
03Recognise the case law that shapes lawful practice
04Handle responses so they demonstrably inform the decision
05Identify the risks that most often lead to legal challenge
06Document an exercise so it is defensible if challenged
03The day
Four sessions
A full day of legal grounding, worked examples and open Q&A.
09:30Where the duty comes fromThe statutory and common-law basis for consultation, and when it applies.
11:00The Gunning PrinciplesThe four tests every lawful consultation must meet, with worked examples.
13:30Handling responsesConscientious consideration: what it means to take responses into account.
15:00Avoiding challengeThe failures that lead to judicial review, and how to design them out.
04Who it's for
For anyone who must get it right.
For officers and advisers who plan, run or sign off consultations and need confidence in the law.
Consultation & engagement leads
Legal & governance officers
Policy & strategy managers
Democratic services officers
Anyone signing off a consultation
Advanced
Advanced Law of Consultation
The deeper case law and the arguments that decide challenges.
View course →
Intermediate
Preparing for a Public Consultation
Turn legal duties into a well-planned exercise.
View course →
Intermediate
Conducting a Public Consultation
Run the exercise itself to a high standard.
View course →
06Before you book
Common questions
Anything not covered here, ask us. We answer the same day.
01How many CPD points do I earn?Thirty tCI CPD points. Every virtual and face-to-face course carries 30, and points are logged against your record when you attend. Members can download a CPD statement from the membership portal at any time, and this course counts towards the taught element of a tCI qualification.
02Is it virtual or face-to-face?Open places run as a live virtual workshop, delivered in real time by a tCI trainer, never a recording. Groups stay small enough that everyone can speak, and you work in breakouts as well as listening. The same course runs face-to-face at your own offices as an in-house session.
03How long is the course?One full day, 09:30 to 16:30, in four sessions with breaks between each, opening with ‘Where the duty comes from’ and closing with ‘Avoiding challenge’. The day is built around practical exercises rather than presentation, so you leave having worked on the law of consultation rather than only having heard about it.
04Can you run this in-house for our team?Yes, and it is the usual choice for teams of six or more. In-house delivery works from your sector and the consultations you have in front of you, so the law of consultation exercises use your own material. We can run it in person or virtually, and split it across two half-days where a full day is hard to protect. Ask us about bespoke for a quote.
05Do I need prior experience or other courses first?No prior course is required. It is pitched at intermediate level, so it suits people who have run or commissioned engagement already. Newer practitioners do well on it too. You will simply cover some foundational ground faster than others in the room.
06Who delivers the course?A tCI trainer who specialises in the law of consultation and works in it, not only teaches it. The named trainer for each date is shown on the course calendar and confirmed in your joining instructions the week before. You can put live problems to them on the day and expect a straight answer.
Bring this workshop in-house for your whole team
The same course, reworked around the consultations your team is running.