Community engagement

Our community engagement resources support officers and councillors to explore the range of ways they can engage local residents – and voluntary and community sector organisations – in local service delivery, decision-making and enhancing places.

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We know that councils have been renewing their focus on community engagement since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Wanting to work more closely with their communities, many councils have been developing new approaches to community engagement alongside improving tried and tested ways of engaging with their communities.

Councils engage communities both formally and informally and for a variety of reasons, in contexts as wide-ranging as:

  • community champion programmes, peer navigators and local area coordinators
  • citizens' assemblies and community boards
  • using digital software to consult a wide range of residents
  • community asset transfer
  • using interpreters
  • working with voluntary, community and faith leaders
  • working with citizen scientists
  • participatory research with residents
  • scrutiny committees.
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A glass half-full: 10 years on review

The asset-based approach sees citizens and communities as co-producers of health and wellbeing. It promotes community networks, relationships and friendships as a way of providing mutual help and support and empowers communities to control their futures and create tangible resources for themselves.

Community engagement and coordination

It is essential to involve and engage with communities to spread the workload, improve perceptions about a town centre and promote its increased use. The COVID-19 crisis has emphasised the value of such effective engagement and coordination with stakeholder groups across towns.

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Innovation in community engagement – examples of notable practice

The LGA, New Local and TPXimpact worked together to capture and celebrate examples of innovative community engagement in local government.

New challenges, new conversations

COVID-19 changed how we live, work and communicate. During the crisis, local authorities engaged with communities at an unprecedented level and pace.