Ideas to inspire

If you're planning to carry out a consultation in your locality in the future, these examples may give some ideas

Aylburton
Aylburton began their Parish Plan with a consultation at the village carnival. The carnival attracts most of the people in the parish. It provides a way of reaching them in an informal way, especially attracting young people. A Landrover covered in Parish Plan information was included in the carnival parade and a marquee contained information and opportunities for consultation through displays, personal contact and games aimed at different members of the community. By starting the Parish Plan consultation at this event, awareness was raised and a target set to complete and launch the plan by the time of the 2009 carnival.

Berkeley Stakeholders Event
The Parish Plan steering group held an event to work with local businesses and report on the findings of the town survey results and community questionnaire. The aim was to encourage local businesses and tourist attractions in and around Berkeley to have an input into the information already gathered. Organisers set up ‘stations’ around the room, each one looking at a different theme and participants were able to voice their concerns, make recommendations and were encouraged to put their names forward to be part of themed partnership working groups.

Pauntley Community Consultation event
Pauntley used a “Planning for Real” exercise as a way of engaging with the community. It is a very visual method and can be easily done by using a map or model of a street or an area and asking people to add notes on ‘flags’ to show which areas they like and which aspects of their community need to be addressed. The exercise can involve all ages and it can be further developed to encourage participation - e.g. older residents may have photos or memories to add while young people can help to build models or provide pictures to illustrate their points.

Officers’ input into parish and community led plans
The community of Whitminster which completed its parish plan consultation in 2008 kept Stroud District Council Officers involved throughout the process and invited them to comment on the draft action plan. This was important as many of the actions could not be carried out in isolation and they need to develop partnerships to help them to move forward. Follow this link to read Whitminster’s parish plan.
http://community.stroud.gov.uk
(903 population / 343 houses)