Agenda item

To consider the report of the Strategic Director for People and Communities.

Agreed:

RECOMMENDED that Council approve the adoption of the Consultation and Engagement Strategy 2025–2028.

Reason for Decision: As set out in the report.

The Executive received the report on the Consultation and Engagement Strategy 2026–2028, which sought  Council approval for its adoption. The report outlined feedback from the public and the VCSE sector on the draft strategy and the changes made in response.

Particular reference was made to:

·        a typo in the recommendation was highlighted which should state that the Executive recommends to council the adoption of the consultation and engagement strategy;

·        the strategy outlined the council's approach to consulting and engaging with communities to ensure diverse voices were integrated into decision-making; and

·        the report included the draft strategy, stakeholder feedback, and resulting changes.

During the discussion, Executive Members raised the following points and

Questions:

·        the strategy and the process used for its consultation was commended;

·        it was enquired how recent consultation successes had informed the strategy and how it would improve outreach to harder to reach groups;

·        the team were commended for their work, particularly for using innovative, inclusive, and representative methods;

·        it was noted that the representative approach was time intensive but had been beneficial compared to less structured consultation methods;

·        it was asked if there would be a way to measure and publicly show how consultation results fed directly into decision-making to demonstrate the value of public engagement; and

·        it was asked what ongoing feedback mechanisms with community groups would be in place for the strategy, which ran until 2028.

In response to questions raised by Executive Members, the Strategic Director for People and Communities advised that:

·        a variety of consultation techniques and tools were needed rather than a one-size-fits all approach;

·        traditional, homegrown surveys had been shown to be unrepresentative as they did not capture representative feedback from the community;

·        the new strategy involved a constant cycle of testing, learning, evaluating, and reviewing different techniques to see what was successful;

·        success would be measured by the reach of consultation and whether gathered feedback was useful for informing the council's decision-making; and

·        the process of continuous evaluation was embedded within the strategy itself.

Opposition group leaders made the following points and questions:

·        the work and the consultation results presented were commended;

·        a question was raised about the Civil Society Covenant and whether it was solely a council commitment or required a response from the community/third sector;

·        the importance of principles and accountability were highlighted, especially considering varied community interests;

·        the next stage of work needed to clarify how data and feedback would be interpreted, including weighting of minority views for complex issues;

·        there was a need for transparency in the use of AI for collating and presenting consultation data;

·        community engagement strategies were important, particularly in the lead-up to local government reorganisation, and there was a need for a consistent approach that linked consultation to delivery;

·        staff should be commended for establishing a clear consultation process;

·        a review and update of the current Consultation Charter to reflect the new process was needed;

·        there was a need for clarity on how consultations were initiated and whether they should take place; and

·        the Charter should be refined as a policy document that clearly supported and worked in conjunction with the consultation process.

In response to questions raised by opposition Members, the Strategic Director for People and Communities advised that:

·        the strategy aligned with principles set out in the Civil Society Covenant, and no further work was planned at this stage;

·        representative resident surveys showed there was an increased trust in the council which identified groups seeking further engagement;

·        the approach to consultation was to build a long-term evidence bank rather than relying on single, one-off exercises;

·        all consultation data would be provided to members for interrogation and decision-making through comprehensive, objective reports;

·        various methods would be used to engage underrepresented groups and capture both quantitative and qualitative feedback where relevant;

·        resources were allocated proportionately, with decisions being made jointly with Portfolio Holders;

·        within the Council, officers were using AI within Microsoft Co-Pilot, experimentally for internal reports, with transparency on its use;

·        a formal AI use policy would be developed when feasible, but there were difficulties, given the constant changes and development with AI, officers continued to work with other authorities to learn and understand from others;

·        the Consultation Charter was Member driven, and was based on principles set by Members, which underpinned the Consultation and Engagement Strategy. It was not intended to be a detailed procedural action plan for every consultation;

·        the consultation gateway process ensured that officers held early discussions on possible methodologies with consultation experts so that they could tailor approaches to specific issues and target groups; and

·        methodologies were customised per issue and audience, rather than applying a one-size-fits-all process and it was not possible to set out an action plan that covered every consultation eventuality.

The Leader moved the recommendations, which were seconded by Councillor

Wright, voted upon, and CARRIED unanimously.

RECOMMENDED that Council approve the adoption of the Consultation and Engagement Strategy 2025–2028.