This case study looks at how a rural authority with a small team came up with innovative and effective ways of engaging their community in developing the core strategy. Although it was written pre-NPPF, it still highlights how a proactive approach to community engagement can add value and make for a more effective relationship between council and community.
The council was proactive in seeking out the community and used different methods to reach different groups. They also used plain language and offered simple ways for people to get involved. The result was a higher level of response than ever before.
This has given the council confidence to take forward options on the core strategy knowing the community understands the issues and will continue to be engaged. They have also shared responses with other council services, and the local strategic partnership (LSP).
- Context
- Identifying the issues
- Methods of engagement
- Quick wins and outcomes
- Follow-up
- Download consultation summary report and materials
- Contacts
Context
Richmondshire is a large rural area with a dispersed population. The council has a small team with 1.5 full time equivalent staff working on the local development framework (LDF). Previous plan consultations had been conventional and resulted in lower levels of engagement. A new administration had set a clear agenda on improving engagement and this was an opportunity for real change.
Identifying the issues
The council asked themselves some key questions:
- How can we make this dry subject interesting?
- How can we reach more of the community?
- How can we get a better response?
The first key decision was to give the plan a recognized and simple ‘brand'. This led to ‘plan our future'. Instead of calling everything part of the LDF, the council wanted to attract attention from the outset and seek opinion. As John Hiles, policy officer at Richmondshire said "the basic purpose of engagement is to learn, not to tell". The starting point was therefore around developing a sense of place, rather than holding a ‘consultation exercise required by the regulations'.
Armed with this attitude, the council wanted to be as proactive as possible. They looked at employees across the council who were charismatic and engaging when they spoke. They recognized that you did not need to be a planning expert, but a great communicator. The method of getting the message across was just as important as the message itself.
Methods of engagement
The community
The consultation was linked to the refresh of the sustainable community strategy (SCS). The questions asked were therefore not only planning questions but also more open questions about what people liked or did not like about the area. The council also set out the purpose of the engagement very clearly from the outset. They made sure that everyone knew they would come back again to explain things further. Over a period of a month, the council carried out the following activities at a total cost of around £20,000:
- provocative poster campaign - these used powerful images to show the impact planning can have if things go unchallenged
- visiting schools - not only were events held with children, but the council also gave them cameras and simple instructions. ‘Take pictures of things you like with the yellow camera, and things you don't like with the red camera'.
- district youth council - These provided a route to older children. The council asked slightly different questions than those asked in primary schools and also held a speech competition with prizes for the winners.
- freepost postcards - these were handed out at market days and other events. The postcards had either a set of five simple questions or were blank for more open responses.
- dedicated website and blog - this used the ‘plan our future' brand and kept discussion going online. It included a calendar of events and copies of all evidence and responses gathered.
- telemarketing - the council has a contact centre that is underused in the evenings. Call centre staff called people at home and asked the same questions as on the postcards. This provided a large number of responses (over 600) and people were receptive to this approach.
- photograph competition - ‘What is the best view in the district?'. The competition helped capture what people valued about the district in a very simple and effective way.
Alongside these more innovative approaches, the council continued with more standard methods such as:
- visits to sheltered homes
- visits to individuals' homes
- press notices
- displays in council buildings
- individual and shared events on market days
- contact with business associations
- contact with parish councils
The plan area is split into three. People were asked questions about their specific area but could comment about the whole council area or just the part that interested them.
Internal
Internally, they held events with the local strategic partnership, giving presentations and linking findings to the sustainable community strategy (SCS). These workshop sessions were based around the broader ‘what are the local issues?' responses.
Members
Member buy-in was important. The officers set out at the beginning to sell the exercise as one of needing to be as creative as possible in getting people to engage. The council did a lot of work with their members. They accelerated this engagement by setting up a working group that met more regularly than committee cycles. These meetings focused on draft issue papers rather than specific sites and included things like access and viability. These were discussed in a non-technical way with questions such as:
- Who shops there?
- What's missing?
- What's needed?
Quick wins and outcomes
Internally, there have been a number of quick wins as well as wider benefits and positive outcomes from the process.
Council reputation
The council's reputation has improved, particularly in the business community. Members especially see this as one of the great benefits of getting responses.
Cross-council collaboration
Officers across the council are working more closely with other departments to share information. Officers involved in the LDF consultation were alert to a wide range of issues (e.g. around rubbish collection or street lighting) and made sure that isues were followed up.. The council is developing its approach to area-based working, which has provided a focus for the non-planning issues.. In this way, the refresh of the SCS has been directly linked to the outputs of the first ‘plan our future' consultation.
Using skills from across the council as appropriate and not just those with planning knowledge has also maximised resources and helped get the job done.
Staff motivation
Staff are now more enthusiastic about both the process and the outcomes. Senior staff are more engaged and talk with more understanding about the issues raised. This has led to an increase in confidence in planning and what it can help deliver for the whole council. The process has been demystified, and people involved in corporate management and housing now see the significance of the LDF to their work.
A more active community
Learning how local communities speak about issues of importance to them has helped Richmondshire keep them engaged in future events. There is greater awareness of the LDF and how it can help shape the plan area into the future. The community now wants to get involved and are more active and organized in doing so. There is better understanding about the importance of issues and the need to make decisions about options. The engagement has made the plan more relevant to them.
Follow-up
Plan our future 1 was the council's out and about approach. The second stage was more detailed and technical. The council broke it down into 10 geographical and topic-based documents. The council held launch events and encouraged people to read whichever documents were of interest. They followed up with presentations on ‘what we know to date' drawing on the evidence base. They then encouraged responses through the website.
The documents have been adapted on an individual basis to suit different groups. They are not ‘what the council wants' but "what can the consultees give?" "What can they bring to the table"?. For example, they asked business groups "what is it like doing business in the area"? Rather than ‘tell us what you think about the plan hierarchy'.
The big challenge will be when the council goes out with the preferred strategy. This needs to be even more proactive. There is a strong story to be told, and reflect back to the community when presenting the ‘preferred options'.
John Hiles said, "All of this activity has opened doors to local audiences. When you open your door, people can walk in. You need to be prepared for what you will find out about them and what they will find out about you". The council has now established links with people and organisations. For example the council has a continuing relationship with the local branches of the Commission for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) rather than simply arguing about specific sites.
Download consultation summary report and materials
Contacts
John Hiles
Policy Officer
Hambleton and Richmondshire District Councils
[email protected]
Simon Fletcher
Assistant Director
Hambleton and Richmondshire District Councils
[email protected]
Many thanks to John and Simon for taking the time to share their experience.