Published on Tuesday 17 December 2019
Proposals which set out BCP Council’s intentions on how the public will be engaged with and are consulted on council issues, will be discussed by Cabinet on Friday (Dec 20).
A report setting out the Community Engagement and Consultation Strategy plans looks at aims to improve the conversation between the council and communities.
Community engagement is about giving people the confidence, skills and power so they can get involved in shaping and influencing the planning, development and delivery of services.
Building on this, a set of principles has been developed which will shape the approaches used in engaging and consulting with the community. As a major part of this, Cabinet will consider whether to approve a robust 13-week public consultation involving far reaching grassroots methods to ensure that alongside traditional methods of consultation and engagement, we are reaching out to seek the views of those who would not usually get involved with the council.
Councillor Allison, Cabinet Member for Community, said: "Listening to local people and giving them the opportunity to shape the decisions we are making about their communities is a fundamental priority of this Council. Ensuring that our diverse communities can have their needs met, voices heard and calls acted upon, is paramount. This has been reflected through the development of the Corporate Plan and Corporate Equality Action Plan which have both recently been approved by the council."
The aims will be to proactively seek out community values, concerns and aspirations and incorporate those values, concerns and aspirations into the decision-making process. Alongside this Cabinet are asked to approve the continuation of area forums and Safer Neighbourhood Team panels which play a large role in involving many communities.
Cabinet are also recommended to approve a Community Regeneration Strategy is developed in early 2020 as a separate document.