Community participation is “…not just about getting agreement to decisions by local authorities and other public bodies, but involving local communities in identifying problems and opportunities…and in taking action for change”
The nine principles below set out a framework for the Councils community participation.
1. A clear purpose
The council must make it clear to people what they are being asked to take part in. It could be:
- Information sharing;
- A consultation exercise;
- Making a decision.
The council should only use community participation and consultation processes when there is a real opportunity for people to influence and change decisions and services, unless the explicit purpose is purely information sharing. Where it is not possible for people to influence or change a decision, the council should say so. The council should also say if there are only choices and options about parts of a decision. The council must have clear aims and clear ways of feeding back to communities for all community participation activities. We should tell consultees clearly how their views will feed into decision making processes and influence service provision.
2. The process is as important as the outcome
Community consultation and participation is an important process in its own right. The council needs to create a culture which values what communities say and treats communities as equal partners.
3. Communities need to be involved sooner rather than later
The council needs to consult and involve communities before draft plans are published. We need to involve communities in helping to scope the issues to be considered in the draft plans. Similarly we need to understand and communicate the level of involvement available; who ‘owns’ the process? (See Community Development Strategy for the ‘ladder of participation’.)
4. Co-ordination
The council should co-ordinate its own community activities to avoid duplication and ‘consultation fatigue’, caused by too much consultation and lack of feedback and action.
5. Partnership
The council should organise community participation activities in partnership with other agencies, to avoid duplication and promote better joint working.
6. Commitment from the top
Cabinet members, councillors and chief officers should demonstrate commitment to community involvement and endorse the value of it. This leadership will help to make sure that feedback from the community leads to changes in services and plans.
7. Social inclusion
The council wants to provide the opportunity to involve communities that are usually excluded, to make sure there is equal access to services and that services meet the needs of the whole community. We want to make sure that usually excluded communities have a chance to participate thus increasing ‘community cohesion’.
Community cohesion as a concept is described by Local Government Association, Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions, Home Office and Council for Racial Equality2 as “going beyond the ideas of race equality and social inclusion” with a working definition of a cohesive community being one where:-
- there is a common vision and a sense of belonging for all communities;
- the diversity of people’s different backgrounds and circumstances are appreciated and positively valued;
- those from different backgrounds have similar life opportunities;
- strong and positive relationships are being developed between people from different backgrounds in the workplace, in schools and within neighbourhoods.
8. Positive action
The council sees all feedback about public services as an opportunity to improve them. We should adopt an approach that encourages discussion rather than hinders it.
9. Evaluation
The council should set up systems to check whether community participation is working. We should invite members of the public to be part of the checking (or evaluation) process.
