Cheshire West and Chester Council Consultation Standards

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Below are Cheshire West and Chester Council's standards for good consultation.


Honesty, transparency and integrity

  • Only consult when we intend to respond and make a decision. We will not consult on a decision that has already been made or on matters beyond our control
  • Make clear to participants what level of influence they may have in order to avoid any misunderstanding or raised expectations
  • Explain the constraints we face in terms of resources, statutory duties, and timescales
  • Explicitly define the purpose of the consultation
  • Explain the relationship between consultation and how the Council makes its decisions
  • Officers should be impartial, open and objective
  • Protect the rights of anyone who participates in terms of disclosure of personal information attached to a particular opinion, suggestion, comment or other. The Freedom of Information Act 2000 does require the Council to disclose the details of invitation lists, consultee responses (collective, not individual) and results but only where the express or implied consent of participants has been given
  • Conduct all consultations in line with commitments given in our Compact agreement (for more information visit www.westcheshiretogether.org.uk.)


Clear communication

  • Ensure communication is effective, clear and concise and adheres to plain English standards. Participants will be given all the information they need in order to participate, and consultation materials will be available in formats such as large print, British Sign Language, Braille, on computer disk and other languages on request
  • Those consulted will be clearly informed about whether we are seeking views on a single option, on a number of options or whether we want help in determining the options we should pursue.


Visibility and accessibility

  • Seek to ensure processes are open and accessible and that a variety of means are used to inform and increase awareness of opportunities that are available to residents and other stakeholders to get involved in consultation or participation projects
  • Consult at times which are convenient (e.g. avoiding religious festivals, school holidays or school run times etc)
  • Use existing mechanisms for consultation such as the third sector forums wherever possible
  • Have genuine consideration for those groups who can be more difficult to engage and hear, such as Black and Minority ethnic groups, asylum seekers, Travellers, people with disabilities, older people, the young and rurally isolated communities. Our methods will be tailored accordingly to meet the target group’s needs and circumstances.


Member involvement

  • Fully involve and inform elected Members, including parish councillors, in consultation activities and recognise the vital role they play in involving the public in the activities of the Council
  • Ensure that elected Members are not taken by surprise to discover that consultation is being carried out in their name or on their behalf.


Principle Five: Coordination and organisation

  • Coordinate consultation activities centrally through the Research Team
  • Plan individual consultations well in advance of approaching the public to ensure a quality and appropriate approach from the outset
  • Seek opportunities to join-up consultation activities with partners and partnerships to make the best use of resources and avoid ‘consultation fatigue’ for target groups


Timescales

  • Allow appropriate timescales for people to give a considered response. The time needed will vary depending on the consultees, the objectives of the consultation, the nature and impact of the issue you are consulting on and any statutory requirements.
  • Allow appropriate timescales to consider the findings and make them available in time to inform decisions.


Flexibility

  • Participants to make additional comments outside the questions asked within a consultation
  • Revise the methodology, approach and objectives of a consultation activity if appropriate and follow advice from the Research Team
  • Ensure the consultation plan is flexible enough to respond to immediate and changing needs.


Quality control and evaluation

  • Evaluate the success of each consultation against its original objectives
  • Measure and benchmark the effectiveness of consultation against appropriate performance indicators.


Making a difference and feedback

  • Identify mechanisms to feedback the results and outcomes of the exercise to those consulted and explain how we are planning to use the results
  • Feed consultation findings into all appropriate management and political structures, to strengthen decision-making and policy review
  • Communicate the impact of consultations to the wider community through regular “You Said, We Did” messages
  • Explain why we have made decisions, especially when they appear to be contrary to consultation results.

Below are Cheshire West and Chester Council's standards for good consultation.


Honesty, transparency and integrity

  • Only consult when we intend to respond and make a decision. We will not consult on a decision that has already been made or on matters beyond our control
  • Make clear to participants what level of influence they may have in order to avoid any misunderstanding or raised expectations
  • Explain the constraints we face in terms of resources, statutory duties, and timescales
  • Explicitly define the purpose of the consultation
  • Explain the relationship between consultation and how the Council makes its decisions
  • Officers should be impartial, open and objective
  • Protect the rights of anyone who participates in terms of disclosure of personal information attached to a particular opinion, suggestion, comment or other. The Freedom of Information Act 2000 does require the Council to disclose the details of invitation lists, consultee responses (collective, not individual) and results but only where the express or implied consent of participants has been given
  • Conduct all consultations in line with commitments given in our Compact agreement (for more information visit www.westcheshiretogether.org.uk.)


Clear communication

  • Ensure communication is effective, clear and concise and adheres to plain English standards. Participants will be given all the information they need in order to participate, and consultation materials will be available in formats such as large print, British Sign Language, Braille, on computer disk and other languages on request
  • Those consulted will be clearly informed about whether we are seeking views on a single option, on a number of options or whether we want help in determining the options we should pursue.


Visibility and accessibility

  • Seek to ensure processes are open and accessible and that a variety of means are used to inform and increase awareness of opportunities that are available to residents and other stakeholders to get involved in consultation or participation projects
  • Consult at times which are convenient (e.g. avoiding religious festivals, school holidays or school run times etc)
  • Use existing mechanisms for consultation such as the third sector forums wherever possible
  • Have genuine consideration for those groups who can be more difficult to engage and hear, such as Black and Minority ethnic groups, asylum seekers, Travellers, people with disabilities, older people, the young and rurally isolated communities. Our methods will be tailored accordingly to meet the target group’s needs and circumstances.


Member involvement

  • Fully involve and inform elected Members, including parish councillors, in consultation activities and recognise the vital role they play in involving the public in the activities of the Council
  • Ensure that elected Members are not taken by surprise to discover that consultation is being carried out in their name or on their behalf.


Principle Five: Coordination and organisation

  • Coordinate consultation activities centrally through the Research Team
  • Plan individual consultations well in advance of approaching the public to ensure a quality and appropriate approach from the outset
  • Seek opportunities to join-up consultation activities with partners and partnerships to make the best use of resources and avoid ‘consultation fatigue’ for target groups


Timescales

  • Allow appropriate timescales for people to give a considered response. The time needed will vary depending on the consultees, the objectives of the consultation, the nature and impact of the issue you are consulting on and any statutory requirements.
  • Allow appropriate timescales to consider the findings and make them available in time to inform decisions.


Flexibility

  • Participants to make additional comments outside the questions asked within a consultation
  • Revise the methodology, approach and objectives of a consultation activity if appropriate and follow advice from the Research Team
  • Ensure the consultation plan is flexible enough to respond to immediate and changing needs.


Quality control and evaluation

  • Evaluate the success of each consultation against its original objectives
  • Measure and benchmark the effectiveness of consultation against appropriate performance indicators.


Making a difference and feedback

  • Identify mechanisms to feedback the results and outcomes of the exercise to those consulted and explain how we are planning to use the results
  • Feed consultation findings into all appropriate management and political structures, to strengthen decision-making and policy review
  • Communicate the impact of consultations to the wider community through regular “You Said, We Did” messages
  • Explain why we have made decisions, especially when they appear to be contrary to consultation results.