Appendices

Our Engagement Journey – How This Plan Was Written

The voices of around 5,000 people helped shape the Council Plan. Consultations and research provided insights into residents' experiences, views and ambitions, and we had over 1,200 direct interactions. These interactions include:

• 442 online survey responses.
• Over 200 residents spoke directly to us at shopping centres, and libraries across the borough.
• 40+ ogranisations through partnership meetings.
• Over 500 pieces of feedback from our workforce

Progression

Aim: Draft themes

Stage: Early soundings

Dates: Autumn 2023 - Spring 2024

Who and How

• Recent Wokingham Borough Council and Communities Vision consultations
• Partnership meetings: Tenants and Landlord Involvement Panel, Voluntary Sector Action Group, Head Teachers
• Health and Wellbeing Board
• Workforce: Big Chats

Aim: Test themes

Stage: Informal Engagement

Dates: Spring - Summer 2024

Who and How

• Colleague conference
• Directors and leads on key strategies
• Councillors: Overview and Scrutiny
• Public Survey on Engage
• Workforce: survey and focus groups

Aim: Draft priorities

Stage: Gathering more views

Dates: Autumn 2024

Who and How

• Speaking to residents at shopping centres and libraries
• Postcards in Citizens' Advice offices
• Session with members of Caring Listening and Supporting Partnership
• Councillors: Exec members
• Directors: workshops
• Further data and insights from Inequalities project and Youth Future Focus survey

Aim: Test Mission and Priorities

Stage: Formal consultation

Dates: Early 2025

Who and How

• Public survey on Engage
• Direct email to town and parish councils, and key partners
• Workforce survey and drop-ins
• Speaking to residents at Carnival Hub
• Councillors: Overview and Scrutiny

How This Engagement Shaped the Plan

• We referred to the Communities Vision ambitions to inform our Council Plan from the outset.
• We tested five initial themes of Fair, Safe, Green, Thriving, and Connected and what they might cover. Your feedback gave broad support to all five. 'Thriving' was seen as very important but overlapping other themes. We made our central mission "everyone has the opportunity to thrive".
• We asked what was most important to you, and what the Council should focus on. We  used your feedback to draft some priorities under each theme, and continued to test and refine them as we heard more views.
• You wanted the Council Plan to be people-focussed, short and clear, and show how the plan would be delivered.

Reducing Inequalities

We all want Wokingham Borough to be a place where everyone can thrive. This is an aim of the Communities Vision 2035 and the mission of this new council plan. But right now, not everyone has the same chance to do so. 

Our ability to thrive depends on many things, including where we live, our homes, jobs, and communities. These are building blocks for our health and wellbeing. Many people in our borough have these blocks firmly in place. They have what they need to thrive and be healthy, including safe homes, good jobs and supportive communities. But this is not the case for everyone, and when we don’t have these things, and are constantly worrying about making ends meet, it puts a strain on our mental and physical health. This leads to differences in people’s health and wellbeing that are unfair and avoidable. This council plan aims to strengthen these building blocks for everyone, so that all our residents have the opportunity to live healthier lives and thrive. 

To help achieve this, Wokingham Borough Council is working with the Institute of Health Equity at University College London, and with partners and communities across our borough, to reduce the unfair and avoidable differences in people’s health and their chances to thrive by using the ‘Marmot’ approach. This approach has been developed over many years by Professor Sir Michael Marmot and his team at the Institute of Health Equity. It is being used by many places across the UK to build healthier and fairer communities.