workshop delivered at SMART event please note this presentation was delivered as speaker support material and is intended for reference by attendees not for use as a stand-alone resource

1. Involving your Community in
the Future……
Should you and how could
you?

2. …Stats………….
• 2009 Department for Community and
Local Government Citizenship survey
identified that 39% of people felt they
could influence local area, this has
decreased from 44% in 2001.
• April 2009 saw the introduction of the
Duty to Involve which expects statutory
and best value organisations to consult
with their beneficiaries.

3. Should you involve your
Community in the future?
Do any of us like being told what we
like?
Does anyone complain about a
service which isn’t quite right for
you?
How do you feel when decisions are
made without your involvement?

4. Examples of Consultations
Community Led Plan (Parish Plan)
• Can be the impetus for change in a
community and drive residents to improve
their surroundings.
• It identifies issues affecting communities -
Social, Economic and Environmental.

5. Examples of Consultations
Participatory Budgeting
• Where a District Council allocates
funds to a Parish Council for the
community to design and decide
exactly how the funding is spent.

6. What do these both have in
common?
• Creates a sense of “Community”
• Strengthens a community
• A chance for local involvement not just lip
service – influence, change, democratic,
delivering
• You are doing it yourselves
• Gathering evidence for future funding
opportunities
• Has to be totally inclusive
• Requires determination

7. Outcomes of consultations
• Community led plans create an “Action
Plan” of tasks needing to be carried
out in order to meet the needs of the
local community.
• Have often been used as the starting
point of Participatory Budgeting.
• Create a higher quality service with
greater buy in and satisfaction from
the community
• Have often been used for leveraging in
substantial funding to fund things like;

8. Outcomes of consultations
Participatory Budgeting
• Provides funding to a handful of
community led organisations chosen
and supported by their local
community.
Eg: Hemsby were given £10,000 by
GYBC.
Have Your Say for £10k

9. Task 1 – 15 mins Consider the
following statement……
“Isn’t it better to crack on with the job in
hand and not involve the
community….you’d get the job done
quicker surely?!”
Work in groups and produce a list of
‘pros and cons’
for involving your community.

10. 5 mins…
Feed Back to Group

11. How can you involve your
community?
• Involving - means working directly with the
public throughout the process to ensure that public
concerns and aspirations are consistently
understood and considered. This might include
workshops.
• Collaborating - means partnering with the public
in each aspect of the decision, including the
development of alternatives and the identification
of the preferred solution. This might include citizen
advisory committees or participatory decision-
making.
• Empowering to take the decision - means
placing final decision-making in the hands of the
people. This might include citizen juries, ballots or
delegated decisions.

12. How can you involve your
community?
• Who has taken part in a community
consultation?
• The Great British Birdwatch (RSPB)?
• The Census?
• How involved did it make you feel?
• Did you feel able to influence decisions?
• Is it therefore about being involved or being
able to influence a decision?

13. Task 2….15 mins Consider the
following….
“People don’t get involved even when we
try to consult with them”
Work in groups and consider:-
• What might stop community members getting
involved in a consultation?
• What will help community members get
involved in a consultation?

14. 5 mins…
Feed Back to Group

15. Practical tips for involving your
community……
• Some practical tips for getting your
community involved……
• You may have others you’d like to
share?