Just ‘consulting’ That was the week
HISTORIANS looking back on this week will mark it as ‘peak Covid’ – the point in the pandemic where the number of infections started trending down as we learned to respect and then to live with Coronavirus.
Hopefully.
Andwhile the pandemic dominates our everyday actions, locally there’s lots more going on, quite apart from a kerfuffle at a Council meeting.
I’m indebted to the citizenwho drewthe subject ofWBC’s consultations to my attention in mid-January, particularly as it’s a topicwhere WBC is improving.
When consulting’s a sham
Consultations of the third kind arewhere the decision’s alreadymade and it’s just going through the motions, before they launch their bright shiny newpolicy/service/product on an unsuspecting public.
Which then promptly flops …
… because
� it alwayswas a crock;
� lipstick on pigs is cruel;
� dodgy questions deserve dodgy answers;
� we’ve got your number.
Which is probablywhy last summer’s survey from “honest Bob” Generic on Housingwas MHCLG at its finest. The surprisewas that our MPs decided the problemwould see them pitchforked out of parliament – so they objected.
When consulting is insulting
The learning isn’t hard.
When consultations have leading questions like “would you like lots more houses near you – or even more houses than that?” people get upset.
Giving false options like “would you prefer to pay £15 or £20 extra for all these basic services that you thought youwere getting already?” insults the peoplewhose taxes pay yourwages/ pensions.
While the examples are exaggerations, if you wanted to learn about a precept consultation that’ll cost you £10 – £30 next year … you’re too late, it closed last week.
We’re late – dash off a survey would you?
There’s nothing like a time-pressured close to get a survey off on thewrong foot.
Yet it happens again and again, with some hoping that because there’s so little time, you’ll go alongwith it anyway.
When this tactic gets used on (or by) our Councillors for some fairly costly decisions, you’ll understandwhy theword ‘rubbish’ gets applied.
Compare and contrast the following two examples (both real).
Here’s the first:
Your views on our draft objectives
We are proposing the objectives belowto build on our commitment to equality to meet the needs of our communities.
Objective 1. Listen and learn from our communities and use this to deliver services that workwell for everyone
I feel this is an appropriate objective for [our] borough.
Objective 2. Actively champion our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and tackle inequality together
I feel this is an appropriate objective for [our] borough.
Objective 3. Build a diverse and engaged workforce, where everyone is respected
I feel this is an appropriate objective for [our] borough.
Eachwith tick boxes for :
Strongly agree; Agree; Neither agree nor disagree; Disagree; Strongly disagree.
With a single ‘What couldwe do to improve them?’ box towrite your comments in
And here’s the second:
Please tell us if you think any of the following areas of your day-to-day life have been affected because of your age, disability, gender, race, religion/belief or sexual orientation.
If you think it has, it would be helpful for you to give more information about your experiences in the 'any other comments' box (Tick as many boxes as apply to you)
Education; Employment; Housing; Transport; Access to health care; Participation in sports and leisure activities; Personal safety.
The seven topics each have tick boxes for:
Age; Disability; Gender; Race; Religion / Belief; Sexual Orientation
And each has an ‘Any other comments’ box where you can saymore.
The first example gives you three things the Borough’s going to do and asks you to agree.
The second asks you about your daily life in the Borough andwhether you’re experiencing any inequality.
One tells youwhat the Councilwants – the othermeasureswhat youwant. It’s a stark difference in approach, and in attitude.
‘Best’ – ‘practice’
Wokingham Borough’s currently running three consultations, one ofwhich concerns young peoplewith special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
There’s a draft strategy documentwhich explains the subject and showcases the threeyear plan that’s being proposed. While it could be franker, read carefully, it tells youwhere improvements are being considered.
What’s impressive are the three main questions, asking:
Do you agree that the Outcome Measures and "I statements" will effectivelymeasure that the Strategy and Action Plan is making a difference for children, young people and their families?
Do you have any other Comments about the Outcome Measures, "I Statements" or proposed measures of success for the SEND Strategy?
Do you have any other comments about the draftWokingham 0-25 SEND Strategy?
The first one’s box ticking (literally) while the last two give you an opportunity to express your views.
Compared to some ofWBC’s consultations, this is a big step in the right direction. Respect.
The last word
Writing strategies and surveys is dead easy. Actually they aren’t (painful experiences), so bearing in mindwe’ve yet to see 2021’s Local
Plan consultation …
As local tax-payers, please couldwe haveWBC consultationswhich focus on resident needs / desires, that publish results openly (with the original survey docs) andwherewe can see how our contributionswere applied (or not)?