Why engage?

The time to engage people effectively has come…

• Organisations have chosen to be customer focused.
• Local people are less likely to accept poor quality services or decisions with which they disagree.
• Local democracy will benefit from greater public involvement and understanding. Effective public engagement means that individuals and communities can become involved in improving their quality of life
• Good practice engagement will help community integration and cohesion.
• Best Value places a duty on us to consult the public; while organisations can save money by effective targeting.
• The local government white paper - Strong & Prosperous Communities - places a duty on us to engage the public in policy development and planning services.
• Public engagement will facilitate Public Service Reform for more joined-up services.
• Local Area Agreement targets include several issues that are measured by public perception.
• Public engagement codes or compacts between statutory and voluntary organisations will strengthen the third sector role in shaping policy and representing user views.
• The Local Government & Public Involvement in Health Act will come into force in 2009. The future direction of the health service, as well as social care, will depend more on public control, choice and local accountability through LINks.
• Partners increasingly need to agree a common, co-ordinated approach to public engagement.

The public want to be involved in decisions that concern them…

• If we don't listen and respond adequately issues can cause confrontation rather than co-operative decision-making.
• When engaging with the public about a service, policy or any other issue, the focus will be on finding out the needs, concerns, priorities or satisfaction levels of current and potential service users, and stakeholders, as well as of individuals and groups from the general public.
• Everyone has a unique set of needs and opinions. It’s our job to find efficient ways to adequately obtain, record, analyse and report on what they have said, as well - as to respond to them. We hope this toolkit will help you to put your public at the heart of everything you do.

Don't engage when…

• The decisions have already been made 
• There's not enough time or resources to do it properly 
• People don't have enough information to give adequate responses

What is Public Engagement?

Authors: Essex County Council, Rochford District Council and Uttlesford District Council. You are free to share, copy or adapt this work but you must attribute it to EngageEastEngland.

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