This is a guide for councillors and officers working to build a stronger dialogue between councils and residents.
The term ‘engagement’ means anything that creates a stronger two-way relationship between council and communities. This runs from formal consultation to more deliberative and informal listening exercises. It can include co-production, crowdsourcing, events and public meetings.
The guide will be useful for people throughout the local government sector – whether you’re looking to improve statutory consultation practices to avoid legal challenges or wanting to engage in more creative ways. It provides advice on how to rebuild trust in relationships that have broken down and help you and you council become better at listening and responding to resident concerns.