Going beyond survey consultations

Residents find it increasingly important to participate in the shaping of local policies. They want to share ideas, think about solutions and co-create the community together. As a council, it is important to be more ambitious when it comes to participation and explore engagement methods beyond traditional survey consultations. The closer you involve your community, the higher you rank on the participation ladder.

But how do you climb up, start a real dialogue and make public participation a central part of your decision-making process? When is the best time to use a particular participation method, and what should you pay attention to? Looking back on her experience leading ​​the Digital Engagement team at the Scottish Government as well as her current work with local councils, Chris Connolly shared learnings from multiple participation projects.