Contacts, consultation and feedback

Consultation

The City Council is committed to consulting with its stakeholders in a meaningful and robust way to ensure that their priorities are reflected in our key strategies (such as One City) and priority setting. Tailoring services and responding to the needs of all those who live, work and visit Westminster is the crux of Westminster's excellence. Consulting and involving the entire community achieves three major goals, it:

• creates a climate in which the community and the City Council can exchange views, ideas and information that result in policies and programmes responsive to public priorities, concerns and needs;
• provides the community with a better understanding of policy and programme options, and City Council responsibilities and constraints, and;
• broadens the decision-making sphere by engaging with all sections of the community in seeking views on policy and other initiatives.

The following five principles guide all consultation and community engagement undertaken by the City Council:

Proportionate - The inputs to consultation (financial, staff and that of the wider community) must be proportionate to the potential impact of the findings. Wherever possible this should ensure that projects are undertaken in a more co-ordinated and integrated way to avoid duplication and 'consultation fatigue'.

Actionable - Consultation must only be undertaken when there is a genuine desire to engage with the public or stakeholders and where results can confirm, inform, influence or review service delivery, policy development or Council priorities.

Inclusive - Consultation must involve as many sections of the community as possible and special efforts made to engage those who are not usually involved by using a range of appropriate methods.

Reliable - Every effort is made to ensure that consultation results are as reliable and representative as possible. It should be open, honest and meaningful, clear about its purpose and realistic about the scope for change.

Shared learning - Every possible effort is made to share what is learnt through consultation to save efforts and reuse existing findings. Feedback to participants and the wider community on what has happened as a result of consultation and why is also vital.

The City Council undertakes an annual corporate consultation programme which includes the annual City Survey of residents and other engagement activities.

The City Council also has a number of established networks and projects which provide information on the views and needs of the community. This includes the City Council's six Area Forums.

For further information on the City Council's approach to consultation please contact:
The Consultation Team