Prepared in 2015 for Bristol City Council / TCI

1. consultationinstitute.org
Top 10
29 October 2014

2. consultationinstitute.org
Housekeeping!
@TCInews
• Fire exits & facilities…
• Documentation etc
• Phone etiquette
• Twitter?

3. consultationinstitute.org
The Consultation Institute Not-for-profit; Best Practice
organisation; founded 2003
Consultation & Public
Engagement ‘Think Tank’
UK…& beyond
Centre of
Excellence
CPD
1,020+
members
Quality
Assurance
Advanced
Practitioner
Certificate (APC)
Centre for Communications &
Consultation Research
Consultation-related
events
eg #TCI11 Conference
22 October 2014

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Missing Mandatory Considerations
Equalities Impact Assessment

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Missing Impact Assessment
Legal requirement
• Not complete
• Done retrospectively

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Secretary of State for Education
Versus
Luton BC, Nottingham CC, Waltham Forest LB, Newham LB,
Kent CC, Sandwell MBC
Cancel “Building Schools for the Future”
• Ministers are not “above the law”
Birmingham City Council versus “R”
Changes to social care policy

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Survey Error
Wrong questions/bad design

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Survey Error
Can skew entire consultation
• No framing questions
• No narrative / out of context
• Too complex
• Broken logic

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8
No scope/scope creep
No clarity/focus shift

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No scope/scope creep
Lack of clarity about what can and
can’t be influenced
• Creates confusion
• Helps focus evaluation
• Clouds key issues
• Less meaningful

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Public meeting shambles
Wrong venues/badly managed

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Public meeting shambles
Mismanagement
• Poor facilitation
• Venue choice (parking?)
• Format
• Inequalities

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Poor publicity
Wrong audience, no visibility

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Poor publicity
Missing voices, poor participation
rates
• Can create inequalities
• Not reviewed
• Not proactive

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5
Disclosure
Closed facts

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Save our Surgery Ltd
Versus
The Joint Committee of PCTs
Avoid closure of Cardiac Unit at Leeds Infirmary
• Did not reveal sub-scores from panel
• Refused requests for information on scoring

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Disclosure
Consultation does not allow
for intelligent consideration
• Missing information
• Two-way disclosure
• Transient stages

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Managing stakeholders
Social media

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Managing stakeholders
Inform, feedback cycle
• Identification of key ones
• Social listening & intelligence
• Dealing with complaints
• Missing voices

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Fair interpretation
Conscientious consideration

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Fair interpretation
Balanced & honest findings
• Perceived bias (credibility)
• Presentation of results
• Improper analysis tools

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Data handling
Collecting & considering evidence

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Data handling
Balanced & honest findings
• Dealing with qualitative data
• Activity evidence
• Coding

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Predetermination
Burden of proof & transparency

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Predetermination
Honest integrity
• Stepping back
• Preferred options
• Pre-consultation
• Honey trap

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Parting dale Lane Residents Association
Versus
London Borough of Barnet
Order to re-open previously closed road
• Elected member speeches and emails said it would
happen
• Evidentiary value of emails etc. in establishing that
decision maker had made up their mind

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Top 10
29 October 2014