To consider the following petition:

‘We, the undersigned, petition the Council to review the methods used for public consultation by Shropshire Council.

The methods used by Shropshire Council for their consultations are very poor and rely largely on their website to inform the public.  This is disenfranchising, particularly to those without access to the internet, and requires the public to be proactive.  A complete review is urgently required and Shropshire Council needs to engage more effectively with the public’

Members considered the following petition:

‘We, the undersigned, petition the Council to review the methods used for public consultation by Shropshire Council.

The methods used by Shropshire Council for their consultations are very poor and rely largely on the use of their website to inform the public.  This is disenfranchising, particularly to those without access to the internet, and requires the public to be proactive.  A complete review is urgently required and Shropshire Council needs to engage more effectively with the public’.

Mr S Mulloy made the following statement:

‘I am here today to present a petition seeking better consultation and engagement from Shropshire Councils.

 It was just over 12 months ago that I sat before this very same committee (27^th Nov 2013) and questioned the lack of consultation on last year’s Draft Business Plan.

I sought a review of Shropshire Council’s engagement methods, and twelve months on, there has been no visible change. Rapid Action Groups were set up to scrutinise different service areas, but no one looked at Community Engagement. At that meeting, the Leader proudly announced that the recent success in winning the court case over the closure of Adult Day Care Centres, vindicated the Council’s approach to consultation. That decision was subsequently overturned on appeal, and therefore the Council’s approach to consultation is no longer justified.

That failure to consult cost the Council £250,000 so not only does poor consultation create poor policy, but it also wastes public money at a time when grants are being cut to local Town & Parish Councils.

As we sit here today, 6 years after the formation of this Unitary Authority, there is no Service Wide Engagement Strategy, and given the amount of policy that has been adopted during that period, this calls in to question the robustness of those policies.

The mission statement of the Business Plan leads with: “OUR CUSTOMERS AT THE CENTRE OF EVERYTHING WE DO.” but this can only be considered a platitude if you do not consult and engage with your customers effectively.

In recent years public participation has become a defining feature of all areas of public policy, but I have to question whether those people working in this field have had a chance to gain the skills required. As a result, the experience of community engagement has not been as positive as it should or could have been.

When asked about Localism in practice, the Chief Executive said: “There is a need to get in to the community to get feedback in order to change and adapt instead of expecting people to come to us.” I would ask, how has this been done?

Shropshire Council’s preferred method of engagement is through electronic means, but this is disenfranchising, and risks being challenged through the Equality Act (2010 Sect 149) as it prohibits consultation with groups unable to access the internet.

There is a need to address the fundamental problem of motivation in public participation exercises, recognising that there are people who are different or disadvantaged and may face barriers to participation. These issues can only be overcome through appropriate and effective consultation.

Done properly engagement is a relationship that is transformative and creates hope for a better tomorrow. It’s about reaching out to those marginalised in our society. It’s about social inclusion and partnership.

What it is not about, is working in isolation!

I respectively request that this committee sets up a Rapid Action Group to look at the methods of engagement used by Shropshire Council and report their findings to Full Council’.

The Committee Chairman thanked Mr Mulloy for presenting the petition and commented that the Scrutiny Chairs’ Group would give consideration to establishing a Working Group to look at community engagement as part of Scrutiny’s future Work Programme.