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

  • Consider the most appropriate form of involvement, to deliver the best outcomes, including engagement, coproduction and consultation.
  • Consult where there is a statutory duty or legitimate expectation to do so, and where feedback can be used to inform a decision.
  • Explain the purpose of the consultation and be clear about how the Council will consider the feedback and make a decision.
  • Be clear about how much influence participants can have and explain any limitations in terms of resources, statutory duties, and timescales.
  • Ensure consultations are objective, transparent and inclusive.
  • Store and process all feedback in line with the Council’s consultation privacy notice
  • Conduct all consultations in line with our compact agreement


Communication, visibility and accessibility

  • Ensure consultations are visible, using a variety of ways to raise awareness of opportunities to take part, including through existing groups and networks.
  • Ensure communication and information is effective, clear and jargon-free.
  • Provide participants with the right level of information to take part effectively and share their views.
  • Be clear about the proposals being consulted on, how and why proposals have been developed, and the stage that plans are at.
  • Assess the needs of impacted groups and consider whether methods need to be tailored to enable different groups and communities to take part.
  • Ensure methods are accessible and convenient for participants and provide alternative formats, on request or as standard, depending on the audience.


Member involvement

  • Ensure elected Members and town and parish councils are aware of consultations that are being carried out.
  • Promote the role that elected Members and Town and Parish Councillors can play in involving communities in consultation activities.
  • Involve elected Members in consultation activities about issues that are relevant to their responsibilities.


Coordination, organisation and timescales

  • Coordinate consultation activities centrally through the Research and Consultation Team.
  • Provide opportunities for early engagement and coproduction, where appropriate, to help shape proposals prior to consultation.
  • Seek opportunities to join up consultation activities across the Council and with partners, to make best use of resources and avoid ‘consultation fatigue’.
  • Ensure consultations are well-planned and allow sufficient time to develop a reasonable and proportionate approach in line with these standards.
  • Allow sufficient time for participants to provide a considered response, depending on the consultees, the proposals and any statutory requirements.
  • Allow sufficient time to analyse and understand the consultation findings, and for appropriate political and management structures to consider the feedback.


Quality, flexibility and continuous improvement

  • Monitor consultations and ensure plans are flexible to be able to meet the needs of participants, the organisation and the consultation objectives.
  • Respond to requests for additional information and enable participants to make further comments in addition to the consultation questions.
  • Evaluate a sample of consultations against these standards annually, to understand lessons learnt and ensure continuous improvement.


Making a difference and feedback

  • Share consultation findings with elected Members and Council managers, to ensure feedback strengthens policy development and informs decisions.
  • Thank participants for taking part and share the consultation findings, explaining how they are being considered and what will happen next.
  • Outline how the Council is responding to the key messages from the consultation findings and any decisions taken as a result.

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


Honesty, transparency and integrity

  • Consider the most appropriate form of involvement, to deliver the best outcomes, including engagement, coproduction and consultation.
  • Consult where there is a statutory duty or legitimate expectation to do so, and where feedback can be used to inform a decision.
  • Explain the purpose of the consultation and be clear about how the Council will consider the feedback and make a decision.
  • Be clear about how much influence participants can have and explain any limitations in terms of resources, statutory duties, and timescales.
  • Ensure consultations are objective, transparent and inclusive.
  • Store and process all feedback in line with the Council’s consultation privacy notice
  • Conduct all consultations in line with our compact agreement


Communication, visibility and accessibility

  • Ensure consultations are visible, using a variety of ways to raise awareness of opportunities to take part, including through existing groups and networks.
  • Ensure communication and information is effective, clear and jargon-free.
  • Provide participants with the right level of information to take part effectively and share their views.
  • Be clear about the proposals being consulted on, how and why proposals have been developed, and the stage that plans are at.
  • Assess the needs of impacted groups and consider whether methods need to be tailored to enable different groups and communities to take part.
  • Ensure methods are accessible and convenient for participants and provide alternative formats, on request or as standard, depending on the audience.


Member involvement

  • Ensure elected Members and town and parish councils are aware of consultations that are being carried out.
  • Promote the role that elected Members and Town and Parish Councillors can play in involving communities in consultation activities.
  • Involve elected Members in consultation activities about issues that are relevant to their responsibilities.


Coordination, organisation and timescales

  • Coordinate consultation activities centrally through the Research and Consultation Team.
  • Provide opportunities for early engagement and coproduction, where appropriate, to help shape proposals prior to consultation.
  • Seek opportunities to join up consultation activities across the Council and with partners, to make best use of resources and avoid ‘consultation fatigue’.
  • Ensure consultations are well-planned and allow sufficient time to develop a reasonable and proportionate approach in line with these standards.
  • Allow sufficient time for participants to provide a considered response, depending on the consultees, the proposals and any statutory requirements.
  • Allow sufficient time to analyse and understand the consultation findings, and for appropriate political and management structures to consider the feedback.


Quality, flexibility and continuous improvement

  • Monitor consultations and ensure plans are flexible to be able to meet the needs of participants, the organisation and the consultation objectives.
  • Respond to requests for additional information and enable participants to make further comments in addition to the consultation questions.
  • Evaluate a sample of consultations against these standards annually, to understand lessons learnt and ensure continuous improvement.


Making a difference and feedback

  • Share consultation findings with elected Members and Council managers, to ensure feedback strengthens policy development and informs decisions.
  • Thank participants for taking part and share the consultation findings, explaining how they are being considered and what will happen next.
  • Outline how the Council is responding to the key messages from the consultation findings and any decisions taken as a result.