There are a great many situations in which a government, public bodies or local councils may need to gather evidence. This may be to inform policy, help to draft legislation or in order to make legally compliant planning decisions. One of the most effective ways to do so in a formal setting is to conduct a call for evidence.
When a call for evidence forms part of a statutory consultation, or is part of an established regulatory process, it is essential to get it right. Not only is it an opportunity to engage stakeholders, and improve the quality of decision-making, it is also required to comply with legal requirements.
The following article explores what a call for evidence is, and what it looks like within a statutory context.
What is a call for evidence in a regulatory or statutory context?
A call for evidence is an “an invitation for evidentiary input from a variety of experts, relevant organisations and stakeholders on a given issue.”
Within the context of a regulatory or statutory consultation, it is a formal request by a government, regulatory authority or public body for relevant stakeholders to submit information. Experts, related organisations and even affected members of the public can be called on to submit their insights and data relating to a specific policy, proposal or plan.
For a statutory consultation – as one may guess from the name – a call for evidence forms part of the statutory process. It is required, legally, for a consultation process to be considered valid. Exactly what the call for evidence asks for and from whom is dependent on the policy area and the specifics of each case.
Commonly, a call for evidence is a statutory requirement that will be used to form the basis of questions that will later be asked to a wider audience. For example, if a local authority was running a statutory consultation on how a new housing estate would affect nearby residents, they may first consult experts in areas like pollution, urban planning, transport etc.
Once evidence has been gathered from those with knowledge in the area, this may then form the basis of more direct questions during a public consultation. For example, ‘Would this housing estate make it more difficult for you to access the nearby park?’ etc.
A call for evidence usually seeks depth rather than breadth, encouraging respondents to submit data sets, research papers, case studies, technical reports, or detailed statements. This is particularly useful where decisions have significant social, economic, or environmental implications.
Common uses of a call for evidence
Calls for evidence are used widely by governments, regulatory bodies, and public sector organisations . There is no one law regarding the requirement for statutory consultations, but rather a wide variety of legislation affecting decision-making in different policy areas.
This means that, although technically any area of public concern may require connecting with statutory consultees, they are more common in some settings than others.
Central Government
National governments often conduct a call for evidence when it relates to nationally significant infrastructure, or reviewing national policies and systems.
They are more common in some departments than others, such as the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), which this year ran a call for evidence on the water sector in England and Wales. Or the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), which often runs calls for evidence, particularly on proposals aimed at meeting national net zero targets.
By collecting evidence from experts, departments can ensure policies are based on real-world data and can demonstrate that all relevant viewpoints have been considered.
Regulatory Bodies
Regulators sometimes issue calls for evidence when reviewing or introducing regulatory frameworks. These exercises allow them to gather:
- Technical data from industry experts.
- Impact assessments from affected organisations.
- Public perspectives on proposed changes.
- Business perspectives on proposals.
Regulatory bodies also sometimes issue calls for evidence for matters that pertain to government policies in their designated area. For example, Ofcom – which had a significant voice in shaping the new Online Safety Act – conducted a call for evidence on how to categorise sites ahead of the Bill.
Local Government and Planning Authorities
Local councils and planning authorities frequently issue calls for evidence when making major planning decisions. The most obvious of these are Local Plans, which are wide-ranging documents in which local councils set out major planning decisions for a specific time period and invite consultation from stakeholders, including the public.
Calls for evidence form a major part of how these planning decisions are made, in ways that balance the differing needs of communities.
Types of calls for evidence in the public sector
What a call for evidence looks like depends on the specific context of the formal consultation. Here are a few examples of the most common forms of calls for evidence:
Calls for sites
Calls for sites are generally used by local authorities when planning for new developments. It invites local landowners, developers, and citizens to suggest land for potential development (business or residential) or environmental protection (designating greenbelt or becoming a nature reserve).
The types of submissions called for include:
- Site boundaries and ownership details.
- Proposed uses and justifications.
- Environmental assessments and viability studies.
- Assessments of public need.
It can sometimes be difficult for both sides to make themselves understood when attempting to describe a piece of land. It can be even harder for members of the public to understand proposals for that land with only description. That’s why platforms like Citizen Space use geospatial data, which allows authorities to present ideas and call for sites using interactive maps which allow participants to submit site-specific information seamlessly.
Expert calls
Some consultations require input that is both specific and technical. Expert calls are calls for evidence that only target specialists, relevant industry bodies , or academics in the field who can provide in-depth evidence.
Examples of evidence submitted by experts may include:
- Scientific reports, particularly environmental studies.
- Datasets, including modelling forecasts.
- Sector-specific risk assessments.
- Legal information.
These calls often involve far fewer participants, however they can also generate substantial volumes of complex evidence. The quality and depth of this evidence is a practical reason expert calls are usually confined to a small pool of experts.
Public calls
Where decisions affect the general public, open calls for evidence can be beneficial alongside more targeted engagement with stakeholders. Asking for evidence from the public ensures a diverse range of voices are heard, and that the needs and feelings of the community are taken into account alongside more “technical” considerations.
Public calls for evidence demonstrate transparency on the part of the public body in question, which overtime can build trust in the overall process. This is an essential part of any consultation process.
How a call for evidence improves regulatory processes
Calls for evidence give policy-makers access to a wide range of data. This enables them to improve their understanding of a plan, policy or project and understand it in a wider context. It also allows policy-makers to then weigh what may sometimes be competing priorities against one another in a way that is evidence-led. For example, during environmental policy reviews, combining academic research with lived experiences from affected communities can result in policy that is both more effective and more popular.
Where policies face significant scrutiny or potential legal challenge, a robust evidence base provides a defensible foundation for decision-making, showing that every reasonable effort has been made to consider different perspectives and mitigate risks.
By inviting contributions from a diverse range of stakeholders – including non-expert and industry stakeholders – calls for evidence can demonstrate willingness to engage with those who may not usually have a voice in public decision-making.
“Evidence-based decision-making is an important element of a democratic system, and calls for evidence form a vital step in the making and changing of policy or legislation.”
How to run a call for evidence on Citizen Space
Citizen Space is a govtech platform used by governments and public bodies around the world to run calls for evidence. The platform can be used to run both small-scale local consultations and large-scale, national calls for evidence.
No two calls for evidence are the same. However, in order to run a call for evidence on Citizen Space, facilitators will almost always need to:
- Define the scope and objectives of the call for evidence clearly and early.
- Identify and engage relevant parties. This can usually be done via a comprehensive stakeholder mapping exercise.
- Invite identified experts, organisations and stakeholders to take part. This may require an engagement strategy, particularly if there are gaps in expertise from participants.
- Collect evidence on the platform by gathering submissions from experts, organisations, and individuals. The platform can handle high volumes of responses and attachments, accommodating both quantitative and qualitative inputs, and geospatial data use.
- Analyse responses. This can be done using Citizen Space’s built in analytics, or easily exported to external systems for further analysis.
- Report findings. The platform can be used to help generate and feedback comprehensive reports and recommendations based on the evidence collected.
Citizen Space is the go-to platform for connecting governments, developers, and citizens. If you’d like to learn more about how our software can be used to conduct statutory consultations, book a free demo and we’ll walk you through it.