Local Government Association

The resources in this New Conversations section support the basic, statutory aspects of engagement and consultation with a particular focus on consultation.

Councils are required to carry out housing and safeguarding checks to ensure Homes for Ukraine accommodation is of a suitable standard and that guests arriving in the UK will be safe. Below are just some of the early examples of approaches taken by councils to these checks.

Partnership working between local authorities and other agencies is an increasingly important aspect of public service delivery. But working with communities is essential in making sure that public services reflect the particular needs of those communities.

Below is a starter kit for front-line councillors for being as engaged as possible with your residents and local businesses.

‘Place-branding’, ‘place-building’, ‘place-leadership’, ‘place-based approaches’. These are terms you will probably have heard before, and will certainly hear again. The terminology crops up so often because within it lies the potential to achieve the goals that public service drives towards.

Digital can reach a far greater audience. Social media is great way of gauging people’s views, responding to enquiries and letting your community know what you are up to.

Done badly, consultation and engagement can fall into the trap of disproportionately involving those who are keenly motivated or find it easy to engage.

The role of representing or serving a group of several thousand local people is complex because of the patterns of change in social and political life in recent decades.