UK Consult

Welcome to the UK Consult, our occasional ramble through all things about public consultation and citizen engagement in the UK, with special guests and lovely examples of online public consultation from around the world!

In this episode, strangely, Jonno finds himself all alone in the virtual UK Consult studio. With an absence of guests, this time around he revisits the subject of blended engagement.

Main Topics and Key Questions

- What does blended engagement look like in a peri-covid world?

- What blend of methods should be used?

- How do we encourage continuous conversations?

- Making online public meetings more engaging

- The benefit of asynchronous engagement

- Doing digital stakeholder mapping

- Making public consultation more inclusive

- Creating safe places for public discourse

The UK Consult, Episode 34, starring Becky Hirst, author of #1 Amazon Civics best seller: For the Love of Community Engagement, global Community Engagement Day co-Instigator, mentor, trainer, public speaker, and business owner. 

Welcome to the UK Consult, our occasional ramble through all things about public consultation and citizen engagement in the UK, with special guests and lovely examples of online public consultation from around the world!

In this episode, ardent community engagement practitioner and young Turk, Becky Hirst and Jonno share tales of their love (and hate (kind of)) for community engagement. In possibly the most detailed book review ever, during this recording, Jonno turned the pages of Becky's book, For The Love of Community Engagement (live in the studio) and the result is an epic session of shared stories and a dose of consultation catharsis.  

Main Topics and Key Questions

* Who else remembers saying Thatcher, Thatcher the milk snatcher? Rainbow drops? A computer room at work!

* Is there an emergency in community engagement?

* Jonno coins a new phrase, "Citizen Churn."

* The importance of community immersion for public consultation practitioners

* The value of storytelling and how #NotAnotherSurvey just is not good enough for meaningful engagement

* Why Becky is unhappy with Have Your Say

* The need for leaders who are good listeners and a call for community engagement professionals to have a seat at the top table

* Why we must "have reams and reams of evidence, for those who need convincing about the value of community engagement

* Dadirri or inner deep listening and why it matters

* Why do we need to go back to the future to fix citizen engagement and the public sphere

All this in one episode! Grab a cake and a coffee and take your time with this bumper episode of public consultation goodness.

Until next time!

Welcome to the UK Consult, our occasional ramble through all things about public consultation and citizen engagement in the UK, with special guests and lovely examples of online public consultation from around the world!

In this episode, public consultation in planning expert and author, Penny Norton, and Jonno talk about the new ebook, “Considering Consultation Content: Views from the Development Industry.”

Based on Penny’s own research and interviews with key stakeholders from the development industry find out what Penny and Jonathan think about this often overlooked part of public consultation and the planning process, consultation content.

"People in Planning: Is Consultation Content the Missing Piece of the Puzzle?"

Main Topics and Key Questions

Has Penny discovered a new territory for discussion? Is this another part of the art of public consultation that requires a tad more scrutiny? How did Penny end up exploring this important topic?

Why is trust a big issue when it comes to consultation content?

Hear about Penny's views on the big gap between residents' expectations and what developers need or want to talk about? How do we choose the subjects for discussion?

Jonno thinks that if he was a developer he would really be stuck between running a consultation where everything is under consideration or locking things down so that the scope is really narrow and mainly covers material planning considerations only. Penny has lots to say about this and tries to summarise it for listeners (despite the absence of diagrams on the radio!)

Listen to Penny talk about differing views on the ability of consultees to engage in technical details.

Jonno says people do want to talk about parking. They do want to talk about local traffic. But Penny makes it clear that they will often be out of scope. What can be done?

Should developers be prepared to always embrace contentious subjects rather than shy away from difficult conversations?

Find out about funneling content over a development’s timeline? We can’t do diagrams on the radio but Penny tries to describe it (again)?

And finally, what did Penny learn from this research?

Download People in Planning Considering Consultation Content: Views from the Development Industry

Join our webinar where Penny will present her findings and some exclusive content (diagrams included)

Penny Norton, UK consultant specialist and associate of the Consultation Institute, is going to sit down with Jonno on Wed, 30 June at 10 AM BST to discuss the release of her new ebook and stress the importance of consultation content in the community engagement process. Please book and share! https://www.bangthetable.com/blog/webinar-people-planning-consultation-content/

Until next time!

Trudel est un important fonds immobilier commercial d’acquisition, de développement et de croissance. Leur démarche de consultation avec EngagementHQ cherchait à réinventer deux centres commerciaux de la région de Québec et a connu un énorme succès. Valentin Bachelier, Directeur Québec chez Bang the Table s’est entretenu avec Rosalie Bouchard, analyste en intelligence d’affaires et Mathieu Forget, responsable des relations avec la communauté de Trudel pour en apprendre sur le méthodes de mobilisation des parties prenantes et de la communauté.

Welcome to the UK Consult, our occasional ramble through all things about public consultation and citizen engagement in the UK, with special guests and lovely examples of online public consultation from around the world!

The European Super League debacle has placed fan engagement, rightly so, into the spotlight. In this episode, Jonno hears about the most recent release of the Fan Engagement Index from Kevin Rye of Think Fan Engagement before hearing about how fan engagement definitely DID NOT feature in the decision of "the big six."

Join Kevin and Jonno as they discuss some big topics around fan engagement and consider the crossover between fan engagement, stakeholder engagement, public consultation, and community engagement. There are many lessons to be shared!

Main Topics and Key Questions

The Fan Engagement Index

Where does the idea come from?

How does it work?

What did it tell us this year?

What are the differences between those at the top and those at the bottom? What do they do differently that others can learn from?

Fan Engagement and The European Super League

- What went wrong? Was there any fan engagement? Any consultation?

- How could it have been different? What would a good approach have looked like?

- Is this the tipping point for fan engagement in football?

In this episode, Jonno is entertained by our special guest Rhion Jones from The Consultation Institute.

Join Rhion and Jonno as they reminisce about their shared history in the business of public consultation before tackling some big topics around:

The need for extensive public consultation in the climate emergency response, and how this presents a dilemma to policymakers who just want to get on with it!

Air Quality Zones and The Case for Clean Air where consultation cops the blame for many schemes failing. "During the coronavirus pandemic, over fifty local authorities trialled around 200 low traffic neighbourhoods closing off local roads to avoid through traffic and dedicating the space to active travel. However, partly due to a lack of community consultation, some LTNs attracted strong opposition, and many of the trials were suspended."

How COVID-19 has changed public consultation with the government less able to run things on trust with a skeptical public who will demand to be consulted and be involved

New terminology like "the seldom online" and "blended engagement" and the importance of tackling the digital divide as more public consultation goes online

How public consultation is the bastion of evidence-based decision making, harnesses diverse thinking, and protects against the dangers of homophily for good decision making

A two-week consultation being better than no public consultation a tall and the role of online in fast track public engagement (think vaccine passports)

The big challenges ahead of training people to use civic tech as well as training participants to do it

And much more!

BREAKING NEWS AND NEW INITIATIVES

Rhion also introduces two important initiatives from The Consultation Institute (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE)

1. MIDAS the online database and single source of truth about public consultations across the UK

2. The Institute's Online Dispute Resolution service for disgruntled consultees

Jonathan takes time out to give a shoutout to Rutland County Council's brand new site Future Rutland where local people are being invited to discuss the future.

Topics include:

What you value most about your life here in Rutland

What your expectations are for yourself and your family

What your expectations are for future generations

Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council also get a special mention for their excellent project, Reimagining Your High Street, where the Ideas and Places tool are being put to great use to encourage local people to look past what may currently be present in their high streets and think of its potential and how we can re-energise these areas:

"Councillor Philip Broadhead, Deputy Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Economy and Strategic Planning, said: “I am delighted to launch this informal engagement which looks at the future of our high streets across BCP. This is an ideal opportunity to create a bigger conversation that everyone can be part of and we want your views!

Now is the time to switch gears and reimagine our high streets which play a key role in creating a sense of place. They are the beating heart of our communities and we are determined to do whatever it takes to give our high street businesses the fastest bounce back possible.” (https://haveyoursay.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/)

TIME FOR JOKES?

And yes we finish by sharing a bad joke each!

Rhion Jones (together with Elizabeth Gammell) is also the co-author of The Politics of Consultation available here

"It tells the tale of, mostly, well-meaning attempts to engage with people and civil society as public bodies and others seek to respond to demands for greater involvement and participation in decision-making. Politicians are caught in the middle of this, torn between enthusiastically supporting consultation – when it suits them, and nervous of its power to delay and divert them when rushing to make change happen."

Elliot Sim, Business Development and Practice Lead at Bang the Table, speaks with Sonia Gerken, Communications and Marketing Manager at Gore District Council, to find out how she transformed the council’s paper-based community engagement approach to a digital-first one.

Gore District Council quickly embraced online community engagement — launching their new engagement site with four major community projects. Within the first 7 months of engagement on Let’s Talk Gore District, Council published two more significant community projects, six in total, and amassed over 4,500 visits to the site. The Council has already achieved an engagement rate of 3.35% (a good to high rate based on global industry standards).

“Just do it. Don’t delay. Don’t think your community is not ready for it [digital-first community engagement], because they are.”

– Sonia Gerken, Communications and Marketing Manager at Gore District Council

Key Moments:

4:30 – Transition and reasons behind Gore’s shift to digital-first engagement

6:54 – Achieving internal buy-in for a transformational shift

9:06 – The community’s uptake of Let’s Talk Gore District

11:47 – Promoting your engagement project

12:55 – How to continually build a database

15:25 – Outcomes after launching Let’s Talk Gore District

17:30 -The Council’s community engagement goals for the next 12 months

18:38 -Advice for Councils that are considering moving to a digital-first approach

The UK Consult is..........BACK!

Leaner, trimmer, and of course we're NOT talking about Jonno & Elt! The UK Consult (Version 2.0) makes its hugely anticipated return, and the boys kick off post-sabbatical with a cracker, and a special guest to boot!

A Wondrously Warm Bang the Table UK Welcome to Siân Lomax!

A mere four days into her new employment at Bang the Table UK as an Engagement Manager, Jonno & Elt had already subjected Siân to a guest appearance on the UK Consult, a fairly terrifying experience for even the most hardy of celebrities to face!

They were keen to ask Siân all about her in-depth digital engagement experience, having worked previously at West Yorkshire Combined Authority as a Bang the Table UK client. (You can see their site in full HERE)!

Also, importantly, here's a photo of Siân with an Alpaca! (Importantly NEVER to be confused with a Llama!)

Talking Climate Change

Ever a hot topic for consultation and discussion, Bang the Table on a global scale are launching some fantastic, innovative projects with clients, some of which can be seen below, starting with Cornwall Council's "Carbon Neutral Cornwall 2030 Hive."

Let's Talk Cornwall

Carbon Neutral Cornwall Hive

Get Involved Londonn

Climate Emergency Action Plan

City of Mississauga

The Climate Change Action Plan

Dufferin County

Dufferin County is Creating a Climate Action Plan!

Waterfront Resilience Program

It's Your Turn: Map Your Priorities Along the Waterfront

Maribyrnong City Council Online Engagement Site - Survey Now Open

Maribyrnong City Council Draft Climate Emergency Strategy

Your Say Wingecarribee

Environment and Climate Change

Jonno also gives us a timely and topical reminder about our CEO Matt Crozier's 2020 article, looking at how cities, counties and other municipal organizations across the globe are engaging the community on the issue of climate change, which you can read in full below.

Bang The Table

Climate Change & Online Community Engagement: 10 examples, 5 countries

Recent Project Launch Highlights in EngagementHQ

Belfast City Council recently launched a fantastic project called "Belfast: One Million Trees". You can see the project in full here, with the great example of the mapping tool they set up here.

Jonno describes with great enthusiasm the approach taken by new clients Aberdeenshire Council, who recently launched their "Engage Aberdeenshire" site which you can see here.

The first in a series of podcasts with Indigenous practitioners, Mel Hagedorn, Bang the Table’s Australia & New Zealand Territory Manager and Head of Client Services, invites Eddie Synot, Center Manager for the Indigenous Law Center at University of New South Wales, to discuss Indigenous engagement and developing the Uluru Statement of the Heart.

“In June 2020, the death of George Floyd saw an outcry of support for supporting social change for people of colour, especially in America. However, as an Indigenous Australian myself, I stood back in disbelief around the systemic racism here in Australia.

In order to make positive changes for the betterment of our communities, we need to be educated on issues that impact those we are needing to engage. In the lead up to NAIDOC week 2020, Bang the Table is releasing a series of podcasts talking to Indigenous practitioners from all walks of life to give insight into Indigenous engagement, cultural insights to help engagement practitioners deliver culturally appropriate engagement.

This is part of my personal commitment to my profession to help educate and to end racism in Australia.

Our first podcast is with Eddie Synot, Center Manager for the Indigenous Law Center at University of New South Wales. I met Eddie via a webinar he hosted on the third anniversary of the signing of the Uluru Statement of the Heart.” -Mel Hagedorn, Australia & New Zealand Territory Manager & Head of Client Services, Bang the Table

What we’ll cover:

• What does Uluru Statement of the Heart mean to you?

• How was the Uluru Statement of the Heart developed?

• How the project team connected with community members to get them involved.

• What advice would you give to Communications and Engagement professionals listening to this podcast about engaging with Indigenous communities?

• If people want to learn more about Indigenous history in Australia, what resources would you recommend they read, watch or listen to.

• What is next for Uluru Statement of the Heart, how can people become involved?

New Kids on the Block!

No, not THOSE New Kids on the Block, keep listening, it's ok! Elt and Jonno always welcome fierce competition for all of the global Podcast awards they are inevitably going to receive in the future. Today, Harry & Meghan, inspired by the UK Consult (undoubtedly?), try to take a massive competitive advantage based on their former Royal status and brand by teaming up with Spotify (other streaming services ARE available) in a multi-million pound deal to launch their own podcast. Nothing to worry about lads, as the British press widely report their first foray into Podcasts as "toe-curling" at best.

Even Jonno's worst dad jokes haven't quite been received as badly (yet...).

Charly's Choons of the Week

Elt goes with the gargantuan tune, Liam Gallagher - "Once", featuring his idol Eric 'The King' Cantona. Cracking video! Have a look and listen here.

Jonno has been grooving to Let Me Show You - Tall Paul Remix on Spotify.

Emerging Trends & Themes in Public Consultation

Jonno shares some findings from the IAP2 report in Australia, from our colleague Nathan Connors (shout out to Nathan!). They ran a survey around trends and opportunities for 2021.

Practice - Huge continuing increase in online participation and consultation

Reporting & Analysis - More sophisticated reporting in relation to engagement data, aligned to Bang the Table's continued mission and always a point for discussion with EngagementHQ evolution in mind

Authentic Engagement - Greater demand for "authentic engagement" to include people in decision-making and make them feel that their opinion is valued and appreciated.

Jonno Craven's Newsround (click on links below whilst listening to Jonno's expert insight)

New walking and cycling schemes out to public consultation - KCC Media Hub - Shout out to Kent County Council for this!

PR push or public consultation? Row over calls made about new Dorchester housing scheme

Site Launches of the Week in EngagementHQ

Jonno & Elt are dazzled, excited and thrilled by Catalyst Housing's site launch, called "The Garden". Have a look here.

Mug of the Week?

A thoroughly deserved, indeed, a MULTIPLE Bang the Table branded mug award for Anna, Paul and the team at Catalyst Housing - BRAVO!

Stats/Infographics of the Week

Ben Page, Ipsos MORI @benatipsosmori

New - a quarter of people now not looking forward to Xmas - but most of us still ARE!

Meldrew Moments

For the first time in 30 episodes of the UK Consult, Elt has a work-related Meldrew moment! It relates to a community planning 'consultation' in his local area.

In spite of turning into a sieve, a state of mind within which any droplets of grumpiness pass straight through Jonno this week before turning into reservoirs of despair, he still musters a melancholy moment relating to people sending birthday cards late.