Participation postponed! – To what extent should public consultations be deferred until after next year’s General Election?

The idea of ‘purdah’ is not new, and in a Tuesday Topic earlier this year, we argued that it was being over-interpreted and in danger of stifling debate on important changes in our society. Just as the shops seem to display their Xmas stock earlier and earlier, it seems that public bodies are similarly choosing to close down the consultation season ever-earlier as a General Election looms ahead.