Council sets out new strategy to strengthen community engagement

Wokingham Borough Council has set out its commitment to engaging and consulting with the community.

Last week, the council’s executive approved a new Engagement and Consultation Strategy for the authority that sets out how it will make sure residents and stakeholders are involved in decision-making.

The strategy includes the principles by which the council will engage and consult as well as the methods it will use.

Leader of the council Cllr Stephen Conway said: “We are committed to involving the community in how we make and implement decisions and this strategy will help us meet that commitment in a clear and consistent way.

“Good engagement and consultation means hearing from the right people at the right time so we can use, understand and incorporate their views and experiences in our decisions.

“There is no single right way to engage and consult. We need to have a range of methods and choose the best ones depending on who we need to hear from and what we are asking about. But there are principles that we should always follow and they are set out in this strategy.”

The principles committed to in the strategy are:

• We will be flexible, proportionate and use a mix of informal and formal opportunities for involvement
• We will consult and engage at appropriate times in decision-making
• We will provide the right information and time for meaningful input
• Our consultation and engagement will be easy to understand and take part in
• Our consultation and engagement will be meaningful, with findings used in decision-making and implementation
• Our consultation and engagement will be strategic and coordinated

The engagement and consultation strategy sets out the range of methods the council will use to make sure it hears from the key stakeholders when making or implementing a decision. The council will select the best methods for different engagement and consultation activities to make sure the right people are heard from.

Cllr Conway added: “We engage and consult for different reasons – often it will be to uncover any unconsidered factors that decision-makers need to know before deciding whether, and how, to proceed with a proposal. Consultation and engagement can also be used to take the public temperature on issues and to provide an early guide of residents’ thoughts about issues ahead of detailed consideration and the formulation of proposals. 

“As the strategy makes clear, consultations are not votes, they help elected councillors and officers make decisions and have to be considered alongside other factors.”

The council runs engagement and consultation on a wide range of issues and residents can find out about them by signing up to the Consultation News emails and by visiting Engage Wokingham Borough.