Consultation and Engagement Strategy & Action Plan

The terms consultation and engagement are often used interchangeably but they are different and distinct from one another. It is important to be clear from the outset if you are simply informing people, if you are asking their opinion on a proposed decision or range of choices, or if you are seeking to work with the community in a broader capacity to involve them in the development of policies, services or interventions.​

Engagement activity can include both information and consultation as part of a wider, ongoing process.

Community engagement is supported by the key principles of fairness and equality, and a commitment to learning from engagement activity and delivering continuous improvement. Good quality community engagement is:

• Effective: in meeting the needs and expectations of the people involved
• Efficient: by being well informed and properly planned
• Fair: by giving people who may face additional barriers to getting involved an equal opportunity to participate.

This strategy defines the framework which the Council adopts to ensure that the consultation and engagement activity we undertake is effective, efficient and fair.

Consultation and engagement activity has evolved over the last few years in response to both societal and technological changes. With more and more people preferring to engage via digital means, ensuring that people can engage online through digital channels is essential.

Adhering to the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 legislation is a key factor in adopting various, well thought out and creative online solutions.

However, to fulfil our commitment to inclusivity, all consultations need to offer credible alternatives to ensure our non-digital audience have the means and are encouraged to participate.

By having a range of methods to choose from that focus on reaching as many communities as possible, including those that are already underrepresented, we reinforce our commitment to the seven national standards for community engagement.

This Consultation and Engagement Strategy 2024 – 2027 will provide the framework and structure to consultation and engagement activity across all Council Services. It also specifies that community outreach expertise should be an important and valuable consideration in consultation and engagement planning and a key mechanism for engaging with the most vulnerable and perhaps most reluctant to participate.

Community outreach and engagement activity through the Community Planning approach is essential in ensuring our Locality Areas are fully involved in Council consultation and engagement activity, and that established community groups supporting those sectors protected through equalities legislation are also engaged and invited to participate to ensure their views are heard.

Given the number of planned consultation and engagement activity across the organisation each year, no one team can be responsible for its delivery, and it will be predominantly service led.

This Consultation and Engagement Strategy has been developed to support a consistent approach to the delivery of the Council’s consultation and engagement activity across all service areas. It sets out a Framework for consultation and engagement delivery that incudes:

• Adoption of The National Standards
• Application of the Council’s Principles
• Use of well-established and creative methods and tools
• Effective planning.

The Communications & Engagement team have overall responsibility for the Consultation and Engagement strategy and provide guidance and advice to services as they develop their consultation and engagement activity. The Communications & Engagement team also ensure that all planned activity is effectively publicised and promoted through an effective communications plan, to facilitate maximum participation.

This Strategy provides the overall framework for the Council’s approach to consultation and engagement from 2024 – 2027 by defining the Council’s approach. In order for consultation and engagement activity planned across all Council services to be carried out both consistently and well, this strategy aims to support the following four core objectives:

• To develop and evaluate the Council’s policies, services, projects and plans
• To inform the improvement of Council services
• To inform the prioritisation of Council resources
• To increase dialogue and engagement with local communities.

The strategy also sets out to:

• Define the principles the Council will adopt to ensure that consultation and engagement is meaningful
• Provide guidance to help plan and deliver effective consultation and engagement activity
• Ensure consultation and engagement activity is inclusive and aligned to equalities and inclusion
• Co-ordinate consultation and engagement activity across the Council
• Enable those with an interest in helping to shape decisions that affect them to participate.

The principles of this consultation and engagement strategy apply to internal employee engagement as well as external organisations and groups. It will support the delivery of the employee engagement element of the Council’s Workforce Strategy.’

During 2015/16 the National Standards for Community Engagement set out in section 1.2 were reviewed and updated to reflect the developing policy and legislation relating to Community Empowerment in Scotland and to build on and inform the growing range of engagement practice. 

Some laws impose specific requirements on the Council to consult with certain target groups on certain issues and to a defined timeframe. Where there is a legal obligation to consult, e.g. statutory consultations on planning matters and statutory consultation on school closures, these requirements remain, and the specifications of those statutory consultations must be followed.

There are a range of drivers for consultation and engagement activity in addition to any legal and statutory requirements as outlined in section 1.5 above.

These include:

Public Sector Financial Settlements

The Council has seen a significant reduction in its financial settlement over the past decade and budget consultation activity has been key to informing the budget reduction strategy.  Most recently, our Have Your Say budget consultation will inform the 2025/2026 budget set out in February 2025. With over 1200 responses it identified priorities and local needs.

Establishing Priorities

In addition to identifying budget priorities, a comprehensive approach to consultation and community engagement led to the establishment of the Local Outcome Improvement Plan 2017 - 2027 (LOIP). This strategy and the Community Planning Partnership’s approach to engagement are key to the delivery of the LOIP Outcomes.

Developing Policy

As new policies are developed and existing policies are updates and renewed, there is an important role for the community in helping to shape those policies to ensure they are fit for purpose and meet community needs.

Improving Performance

Effective consultation and engagement with service users, non-users, service providers and other stakeholders can inform service planning and help to drive service improvements. Community consultation and engagement will be used where possible to gather feedback and inform improvement activity.

Localism and Transforming Service Delivery

The Council has a well-established Place Approach to developing and delivering services in its areas of highest deprivation and need. Developed alongside the LOIP, the Locality Plans for the Place areas of Harestanes and Hillhead, Auchinairn, Lennoxtown and Twechar have been developed through consultation and engagement activity with the target communities.

The Council will take a proportionate and consistent approach to consultation and engagement activity, based on the National Standards outlined in section 1.2. 

So that consultation and engagement activity is meaningful as well as meeting any statutory requirements, the Council also aims to ensure that its consultation and engagement activity follows these eight core principles:

Principle 1: Consultation and engagement activity will be coordinated

• In preparing their Business Improvement Plans, all strategic portfolio’s will ensure consultation and engagement activity planned for the year ahead is identified
• This information will be collated to produce an annual Consultation and Engagement Action Plan to help better co-ordinate activity
• The annual action plan will be published on the Council website and used by Communications & Engagement to inform a joined-up approach where appropriate.

Principle 2: It will form the policy-making process and be used to make well informed decisions

• The Council will inform local people about opportunities to have their say through effective promotion and communication
• Consultation and engagement activity will begin as early as possible and when a proposal is still under consideration
• Consultation and engagement activity will be proportionate to the scale of the issue being considered.

Principle 3: Consultation and engagement will be meaningful and relevant

• Only issues which stakeholders can influence will be consulted on and those consulting will be clear on what aspects are open to change and what decisions have already been taken
• Tick box exercises will be avoided
• Clarification will be provided on specific consultation activity and wider community engagement activity.

Principle 4: Key stakeholders will be engaged

• Stakeholder mapping will be carried out to identify those potentially affected by a proposal and how best to engage with them
• An inclusive and tailored approach will be used to gain the views of underrepresented groups, using appropriate methods and providing additional support where required.

Principle 5: Timeframes will be proportionate, with sufficient time for participation and response

• Depending on the nature, impact and complexity of the policy or proposal, timescales may vary from two to 12 weeks
• More complex and more contentious proposals or those with potential major impacts will be given longer consultation periods
• Defined timescales will also take account of the capacity of the stakeholder groups being consulted.

Principle 6: The right methods will be used

• The consultation method/s chosen will reflect the issue under consideration, the stakeholders being consulted and the available time and resources
• Digital activity will be the preferred and main method of communication for most consultation and engagement, however written and in person activity will also be required to ensure everyone has a chance to participate in their preferred way
• In line with our commitment to hard to reach and vulnerable groups, additional support will be offered in line with our commitment to inclusivity.

Principle 7: Information will be understandable and accessible

• The right level of information will be made available to enable informed comment and contribution
• Information will be presented and distributed as appropriate to the needs of the stakeholders being targeted
• Plain English will be used and jargon avoided
• Accessible formats will be provided as appropriate.

Principle 8: Feedback to consultation and engagement will be provided

• In line with our commitment to ‘We Asked, You Said, We Did’, the Council will report what responses have been received (quantitative) and how these have been used to inform policy or decision making
• Findings and reports will be published on the relevant consultation webpage and promoted on social media when appropriate
• Activity will be evaluated, and lessons learned used to inform the Council’s future approach.

The National Standards are explicit that methods of engagement should be fit for purpose and the Council’s Principle 6 (above) further highlights that the right methods will be used when carrying out consultation and engagement activity. 

Table 2 below, though not exhaustive, summarises some of the key tools and methods available, with an indication of what the approach achieves, when it might be used and some considerations in coming to that decision. Whilst there is some overlap in tools and methods used, they have been broadly categorised to indicate whether they are best used to deliver information, consultation or engagement.

Information

Method: Exhibitions, Roadshows and Public Meetings

• What does it achieve: Explain proposals to larger groups of people with opportunity for immediate feedback 
• When to use: When presenting complex proposals or large-scale plans to large audiences
• Considerations:
  • Audience attending can be self-selecting
  • There can be apathy to attendance
  • Meetings can be overwhelmed by single agenda and protest groups.

Method: Attending meetings of established groups

• What does it achieve: Opportunity to present proposals to targeted audiences through their established processes
• When to use: When a wide range of target groups are identified which are already constituted with such meetings in place
• Considerations:
  • Keeping to the consultation and engagement agenda rather than the groups agenda
  • Being mindful of single-issue responses in relation only to that group.

Method: Online exhibition

• What does it achieve: Publication of proposals on Council website with opportunity to respond via digital means
• When to use: When presenting detailed plans to audiences
• Considerations:
  • Can be in conjunction with an in-person event allowing the audience to choose preferred method of participation
  • Proposals that include maps, CAD drawings and sketches can be difficult to make accessible.

Consultation

Method: Web based surveys and polls

• What does it achieve:
  • Potential to reach a wide audience
  • Can provide quick response
  • Needs to be effectively promoted
  • Questions should be well defined
• When to use:
  • Wide reaching and general consultation activity
  • A less expensive and more immediate alternative to postal surveys
• Considerations:
  • Careful wording of questions
  • Define the amount of time required to complete
  • Can exclude some groups.

Method: Face to face surveys

• What does it achieve:
  • Can ask more detailed questions
  • Opportunity to explore follow on questions
  • Identify target groups at outset
• When to use: When seeking views from particular groups on specific issues, services or proposals
• Considerations:
  • Requires trained interviewers
  • Higher refusal rates
  • More time consuming
  • More expensive.

Method: Telephone surveys

• What does it achieve:
  • Can ask more detailed questions
  • Opportunity to clarify and explore follow up questions
• When to use: Can opportunistically survey customers calling the contact survey
• Considerations:
  • Customers may decline to participate
  • Costly and time consuming to conduct bespoke and targeted telephone surveys.

Method: Community Forums or Champions Groups

• What does it achieve: These can be pre-existing or established to specifically address a topic/issue/development
• When to use: When you want two-way engagement with local communities on a specific issue
• Considerations:
  • If not existing/established appropriate invitation/recruitment needs to be undertaken
  • Issue to be explored should be defined with clear aims and objectives for the group.

Engagement

Method: Workshops

• What does it achieve: Can involve delivery partners and/or local groups and organisations in structured activity to explore identified themes
• When to use: For developing ideas in partnership with others
• Considerations:
  • Not always representative
  • Can include ‘usual players’.

Method: Focus Groups

• What does it achieve: Enables in-depth discussion of issues plans and ideas with discreet groups (ideally 8-10 people)
• When to use:
  • For qualitative feedback on the issue being explored
  • When detailed feedback on a deeper level is desired
• Considerations: Required identification/recruitment of representative respondents.

Method: Place Standard Tool

• What does it achieve: A simple framework to structure conversations around place and find aspects that might be improved
• When to use: Specifically relevant to locality planning and developing the place agenda
• Considering: Developed specific to engagement on place.

In order to plan effective consultation and engagement activity, these stages should be followed:

Stage 1: Define your consultation or engagement

• Be clear from the outset what you want your consultation or engagement activity to achieve
• Define the outcome of your activity
• Set out your aims, which should be focussed and feasible
• What you want to find out will determine how to consult or engage and with whom
• Only issues that can be influenced should be consulted on.

Stage 2: Background Research

• Find out what consultation has been done before
• Establish any lessons learned and identify if there is any potential to join with partners for any elements
• Identify any legislative requirements and ensure that these are met.

Stage 3: Define your timescales

• Is this legally specified
• Take into account major events such as elections and holiday periods
• Build in time for preparing background information and questions
• Define your response times
• Build in time for promotion by ensuring early engagement with the Communications & Engagement team
• Include collation and analysis of results and report writing
• Define when and how you will feed back.

Stage 4: Define whose views you need

• All stakeholders affected by or with an interest in the issue should be identified from the outset
• Stakeholder mapping can be undertaken to define this
• Explain the purpose of their involvement and be explicit on what can and cannot be influenced
• Be clear on how participants views will be used
• Existing groups and networks should be used wherever possible
• Stakeholders should be engaged in the process as early as possible
• Ensure you take steps to involve underrepresented groups.

Stage 5: Define your methods

• Identify, with advice from the Communications & Engagement team, the methods and tools you require to achieve your aims
• Consider whether both quantitative or qualitative methods are required
• Consider where open or closed questions are most appropriate
• Consider how you will analyse your findings and ensure you area able to do this
• Consider whether your consultation and/or engagement can be delivered in-house or whether an impartial provider is more appropriate.

Stage 6: What resources do you require?

• Identify all the skill sets you require (preparing questions, planning focus groups, community outreach, analysing results)
• Identify what can be delivered in-house and where external expertise may be required
• Include the development and design of information leaflets or packs into your timescales
• Include advertising costs, printing costs, postage costs/distribution costs depending on the methods being used
• Identify venue requirements and include venue hire and refreshment costs if relevant
• Engage with the appropriate supporting teams as early as possible
• Ensure that your approach is proportionate to the issue being considered.

Stage 7: Feedback and Evaluate

• Define how you will feedback and when you will do this
• Consider quantitative and qualitative feedback
• Ensure your feedback includes what has been done, including reasons for not taking proposals forward if that is the outcome
• Share your findings/final report with the Communications & Engagement team to update the website
• Review and evaluate your consultation/engagement activity once complete
• Identify what went well and where improvements could be made
• Share experience to inform improvement across consultation and engagement activity across the organisation.

As detailed in Section 1, all Council strategic areas identify their consultation and engagement activity for the coming year in their Business & Improvement Plans (BIPs), which are prepared in February/March for approval alongside the Council Budget for the year ahead, ready for implementation at the start of that financial year in April.

The annual plan will be used to identify any overlap of activity or timescales. Where there are overlaps that may cause confusion to our residents or there are too many consultations within the same time period, the Communications & Engagement team will link with service areas to agree and identify where consultation can be combined and/or to agree an alternative approach or timescale.

Services due to hold a consultation and engagement exercise are required to complete a proforma at least four weeks in advance of a planned consultation start date to ensure that Communications & Engagement team resource can be allocated to create consultation materials, webpages, surveys, media and social media promotion. If a consultancy has been appointed to support any consultation activity, a proforma still needs to be completed and the Communications & Engagement team consulted on any output.

Effective and bespoke communications plans will be put in place to promote and support that activity, with early involvement of the team essential to best promote consultation and engagement activity going live and encouraging high participation rates.

The annual consultation and engagement action plan is collated from the BIPs and published on the Consultation page alongside the current Consultation & Engagement Strategy.

The consultation page includes all live consultations and an archive of those that have already concluded. The archive includes all consultation activity for the current and previous Council cycle.

Using the ‘We Asked, You Said, We Did’ approach, post-consultation we should clearly highlight what the exercise was asking, a summary of the responses/feedback and information on what action the Council then took.

All consultation surveys will be hosted on the Council’s online survey tool. A Data Impact Assessment (DPIA) was put in place in 2024 which allowed the Communications & Engagement team to identify and minimise the data protection risks of how the Council carries out consultations.

This checklist is a step-by-step guide to help those planning to consult or engage with service users, residents, local businesses, voluntary and community groups, partner organisations, employees and any other stakeholders.

Further advice is available from the Communication & Engagement team whose role is to co-ordinate, support and promote the Council’s consultation activity. 

Please contact: corpcommunications@eastdunbarton.gov.uk

Step1: Purpose

The National Standards for Community Engagement and the Councils Principles of Consultation and Engagement should underpin all consultation and engagement activity.

Step 2: Define

Clarify from the outset what you want the consultation or engagement activity to achieve. Specify your focused and feasible aims and be clear on what you need to find out and what you want to ask. Be clear on the outputs and outcomes you plan to deliver as a result.

Step 3: Plan

Ensure that you involve all the service areas of the Council impacted by or required for the delivery of your consultation or engagement activity at the outset. Ensure you follow the seven detailed stages of planning included in the Consultation & Engagement Strategy:

• Stage 1 - Define your consultation or engagement
• Stage 2 - Do your Background research
• Stage 3 - Define your timescales
• Stage 4 - Define who you need to consult or engage with
• Stage 5 - Define your methods
• Stage 6 - Identify the resources you require and ensure they are in place
• Stage 7 - Define how you will feedback and evaluate your activity.   

Step 4: Implement

Having prepared your consultation and engagement plan, identified opportunities for working with partners and/or other Council services and ensured that the plan is effectively resourced in an achievable timescale, it can now be implemented. Elected Members should be kept advised of all consultation and engagement activity being carried out across the Council.

Step 5: Evaluate

The final stage of all consultation and engagement activity should be the evaluation of the findings and the process to inform future activity and confirm whether the aims and objectives of the activity have been achieved. It is also important to report back to those you have engaged with as part of our commitment to ‘We Asked, You Said, We Did’. This is to ensure those who took part are informed of the evaluation and the outcome of the activity undertaken.

Preparation is required for all Public Meetings and needs to be in place well in advance of the promotion of the meeting. A minimum of three weeks is preferred to effectively promote a public meeting at the venue/local area, through the media and to ensure the target audience is aware and able to participate. 

Promotion of Public Meetings, clearly stating their purpose and intended audience, will be delivered by the Communications & Engagement team once the vital preparation outlined in the table below is in place. Supporting materials for the meeting (roller banners, displays, presentations, merchandise) should also be agreed well in advance.

The Chief Executive should be advised of all Public Meetings taking place and the relevant Executive Officer should approve the member of Council staff who delivers the event or supports an external consultant if relevant. The Council Leader and relevant Conveners should also be advised of all Public Meetings at the preparation stage and in advance of them being promoted.

Venue

Ensure the venue is appropriate for the anticipated numbers and format of the meeting and that it is set up well in advance of the start time.

Consider:

• Capacity
• Layout (arrival/welcome, displays, top table/panel, seating)
• Appropriateness
• Facilities (accessibility, appropriate ICT/AV, wifi, refreshments)
• Book audio for all meetings with presentations.

Itinerary

This is the meeting structure. Have a clear purpose for the meeting with an aim, who needs to be involved, what needs to be achieved (outcome), how it will be achieved and who/what needs to be available to achieve it:

• Aim of meeting
• Who is involved (Council/Partners)
• Who’s doing what to achieve aim and deliver outcome
• Visuals and supporting materials.

Timetable

Identify the stages of the meeting, allocate times and stick to these.  If not included in the publicity, display the timetable for all to see on arrival e.g.

• Meet and greet
• View displays
• Formal presentations/discussion
• Q&A.

Audience

Be prepared for the audience and their expectations of the meeting.  Ensure the meeting purpose has been communicated and refer back to this.

• Anticipate numbers
• Anticipate viewpoints, clarify purpose
• Be prepared to address challenges.

Lead

There must be a clear Lead from the service to deliver the meeting (appropriate level, signed off and supported by Executive Officer and Chief Executive). Lead should co-ordinate all participants, and at the meeting should:

• MC/Chair the meeting & introduce who is involved#
• Outline the timetable
• Identify who will respond to questions (Council/Partners)
• Keep on track (timetable & purpose)
• Agree how responses will be provided if not available at the meeting
• Summarise meeting and confirm next steps.

Further advice can be provided from Communications & Engagement by contacting corpcommunications@eastdunbarton.gov.uk