News & Insights
The Waiting Game – There’s no need to wait until some good ideas become law!
One of the abiding characteristics of our public service is obedience to the law – and a reluctance to take risks by over-reaching ourselves. There’s an old rule of thumb that states that if it isn’t expressly allowed … in writing…. then you better assume it’s forbidden! The private sector has traditionally followed the opposite dictum; anything goes – provided it isn’t expressly outlawed.
So when a Department of State finally produces a long-awaited White Paper – with 171 pages in Volume 1 and 59 pages in Volume 2 (price £32.50, but free if you download from the web), the task of figuring out what will change, and when, is quite a challenge.
Access to this content is exclusively for Institute members
Not a member? Unlock this article and more today by signing up for a Consultation Institute membership. Benefit from access to over 300 Topic Papers and Briefing Notes, discounted rates on all public training and more. Click on Join Now today to find out more and sign up.
Rhion Jones
More news
Introduction In public decision making, it is common to treat volume as protection. More meetings. More survey returns. More submissions....
The Promise and the Caution AI is arriving in government consultation. Cambridge City Council’s planning department and the Central Government...
The risks of premature engagement What happens when an organisation moves to public engagement before fully developing its options? From...
