Public consultations are a process in which the public are invited to share their views on a particular topic. These views can be shared in various ways, such as surveys, interviews, participatory mapping, and other forms of citizen engagement activities.
In the context of public bodies, like a local authority, public consultations are usually formal and top-down in nature. They are sometimes a statutory requirement, and must legally be completed before implementing a policy or plan.
They provide citizens with a platform to voice their perspectives on the policies, plans and projects that directly affect them. They allow information to be shared with key stakeholders and the public at large.
A good public consultation strategy allows this exchange of information to be mutually beneficial, with those running the consultation getting real-time feedback on how information is being understood and interpreted.
Public Consultations vs Community Consultations
All consultations seek to gather input from the public, engage stakeholders and ensure a transparent decision-making process
Public consultations are a way for the public to “speak” directly to decision-makers, and for those decision-makers to better understand the needs of impacted citizens.
Community consultations are usually much less formal. They are often organised in a bottom-up manner by the affected communities and local residents themselves. When they are organised by public bodies, it is usually with a great deal of support from local community groups and grassroots organisations.
How to Run a Community Consultation
Running a community consultation shares many of the same considerations as running a public consultation. Consultations are a way for organisations to engage the community, gather useful feedback and then use that feedback to shape the initiatives they were designed to inform.
Despite being less formal than public consultations, it is essential to have a comprehensive plan for effective community engagement, analysis and to feedback:
1. Define the Objectives
The first step in any community consultation plan is to establish the purpose of the consultation.
That may be as simple as getting the public to fill out a survey on a proposed plan or policy. Or it could be as in-depth as asking members of a community to give input on what parts of their community are in need of greater resources via participatory mapping activities.
Defining the objectives of a community consultation will help give structure to the process, which is particularly important in the less formal setting of a community consultation.
2. Inclusivity and Accessibility
Community consultations should reflect the diversity of the communities they are working with. When running a community consultation, it is important to consider those who may find it less accessible. This includes those with disabilities, non-english speakers, older adults and those from communities that are traditionally harder to reach.
Accessibility can be improved by:
- Offering both in-person and digital attendance opportunities.
- Providing materials in multiple languages and formats.
- Using community leaders and community engagement methods to encourage participation.
- Ensuring all digital engagement tools are accessible and meet current standards.
3. Use the Right Engagement Activities
One of the benefits of a community consultation is their flexibility and informal structure. Where public consultations tend to follow a more rigid set of engagement techniques, community consultations are free to use a variety of engagement activities in order to encourage participation.
This could include:
- Using geospatial software to run community mapping activities.
- Running participatory budgeting activities.
- Appointing a citizen panel or jury.
- Public meetings and stakeholder workshops.
Every community consultation is different, so it is important to make sure that the method of engagement fits the community and setting.
4. Use Resources Wisely
Whether a community consultation is being run at the grassroots level, or by a public body reaching out to a particular community, it is likely that resources will be limited.
When planning a community consultation, it is important to be aware from the outset of what resources are available. This includes actual costs, staffing and of course time.
The best use of resources is to take advantage of all tools available. GovTech – the digital tools employed by governments and public bodies – are widely used to reduce the resources required to gather, analyse, and provide feedback on data collected during the consultation process.
Measuring the Success of your Community Consultation
A well-planned community consultation can offer a variety of benefits to both those running the consultation and participants. Measuring the success of a consultation is key to ensuring that a consultation fulfills objectives and that future consultations are effective.
Participation Rates and Representation
The most obvious measure of success for a public consultation is its participation rate. However, sometimes it isn’t enough to just have a lot of people involved. An effective consultation has a good level of engagement from a diverse range of people, representing all the communities and groups affected by the subject of the consultation.
Ensuring representative samples of the population in a community consultation can be done via digital engagement software, which can easily give consultation planners an idea of those represented in the consultation. This can then be measured against the targeted demographics to show where more engagement work may be necessary.
Quality of Feedback
As well as the number of participants and quantity of feedback, quality of engagement is also a useful measure for a consultation. Quality of feedback is determined by how well participants articulate their views, the depth of their insights, and whether their input provides actionable recommendations.
If quality is lacking, this may mean that consultees need more information, or guidance on how to interact with the consultation process.
How Well Did The Consultation Meet Gunning Principles?
A community consultation is not expected to adhere to the same formal requirements as a public consultation. However, the Gunning Principles are still a useful way to make sure that a consultation process is being conducted with fairness and transparency.
Established in 1985, the Gunning Principles require that consultations occur at a formative stage, provide sufficient information for informed responses, allow adequate time for feedback, and ensure decision-makers conscientiously consider the input received.
Measuring a consultation with these principles is a good indication of how well a consultation was carried out.
Influence on Policy
Perhaps the most important metric for measuring the success of a community consultation is the impact on the policies, plans and projects produced as a result.
Not all consultations form the foundations of a policy or radically alter a given project. However, evidence that consultee feedback was taken into account in the policy-making process is a vital measure of success.
Qualitative data vs Quantitative data
In a community consultation, data can be divided into two categories: quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative data is numerical, and is easily measured and analysed. Often this is through structured surveys with fixed responses. For example, respondents may be asked to rate their feelings on a given policy on a scale of 1 to 10.
Qualitative data is more descriptive and subjective. It can give a rich insight into the specific feelings and thoughts of a consultee. It usually includes open-ended questions, such as ‘how will this policy affect your community?’.
Collecting quantitative data is comparatively simple. Qualitative data can be far more difficult to visualise, and understand how an individual’s contribution relates to the opinions of the community as a whole. For this reason, Citizen Space has tools allowing qualitative data to be tagged and coded according to common themes and sentiments.
Turning Data into Actionable Insights
After collecting consultation data, the next step is turning that data into actionable insights. This means using the data to directly inform decision-making and the policy process. Citizen Space simplifies this process with custom-built analysis tools that allow those running a consultation to dig deeper into the data.
For quantitative data, Citizen Space aggregates responses into easily visualised formats like charts and tables. For a more in-depth analysis, cross-tabulation and filtering is used. Cross-tabulation allows data comparison between questions. This is particularly useful for analysing whether some demographics and communities have differing opinions on a proposed policy or project to others. Similarly, filtering is useful for giving targeted insights, such as by location.
To analyse qualitative data, Citizen Space’s tagging and coding tools enable responses to be organised into meaningful themes and sentiments. This sentiment analysis allows common topics to be tracked, and a numerical value to be attached to qualitative contributions.
Quantitative data like satisfaction ratings, and qualitative insights, like detailed feedback on specific aspects of a policy, can be combined to give a comprehensive understanding of participant views. This approach gives significant credibility to consultation reports, and therefore to actions taken as a result of a consultation.
Closing the Feedback Loop
Closing the feedback loop is the final step in any consultation. Reporting back to participants on outcomes creates greater transparency and accountability. This can build trust with respondents, and with the wider community.
Providing good quality feedback can also:
- Shows the consultation had a purpose, and people’s feedback was valued.
- Helps people understand & feel engaged in the process.
- Demonstrates that the consultation is beneficial to both sides.
- Motivates people to take part in further activities in the future.
Despite how important this part of the process is, it is often overlooked. This is due to a perception that providing feedback is difficult or time consuming. However, engagement platforms like Citizen Space can also be used to easily publish consultation results. This significantly simplifies the process for those running the consultation and participants, who will already be familiar with the platform.
Case Study: Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council (DLR CC) recognised they were only doing the minimum in their consultation processes and were relying on traditional methods like newspaper advertisements and written submissions. However, when planning a new library and cultural centre, they received a mere 33 submissions.
Realising they needed a new approach, they sought a purpose-built online consultation platform and chose Citizen Space. This allowed their communications team to manage consultations independently, ensuring the easy integration of both offline and online engagement.
The impact was immediate. Over the next year, DLR CC hosted 60 consultations on Citizen Space, attracting thousands of views and online submissions. By making the process more accessible, the Council engaged a broader cross-section of the community and ensured a diverse range of voices were present in each consultation.
“I would like to thank and compliment the staff of Delib for their professionalism and the level of service they have provided during our first year using Citizen Space. It is always daunting when trying to change one’s work practices and they have assisted and guided us with great patience during this time. They are a pleasure to work with.”
– Jim Ryan, Press Officer, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council
Citizen Space is the go-to govtech platform for engaging with citizens, managing large scale government consultations and simplifying statutory processes. If you’d like to learn more about how our software streamlines public engagement and transforms decision-making, book a free demo today.
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