Decision details

RESOLVED that:-

(a)          Cabinet approves the Connecting Communities – BCP’s Community Engagement & Consultation Strategy 2021-2024 incorporating the BCP Council Engagement Principles and action plan;

(b)          Cabinet notes the £50k of annual additional resources requested to support the delivery of the plans from 2022/23 onwards; and

(c)          Cabinet notes that the £50k of annual additional resources will formally be recommended to Council as part of the 2022/23 budget and Medium-Term Financial Plan Update report in February 2022.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Adults

Reasons

There is no statutory requirement to develop a Community Engagement and Consultation Strategy for BCP Council, however the development of a set of engagement principles, processes and standards provides clarity to the communities of Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole around the standards they can expect when engaging with the Council.

The development of a Community Engagement and Consultation Strategy enables us to develop the way we engage and consult with our communities, improving our engagement levels and ensuring a consistent approach across all areas of the Council.

The development of a Community Engagement & Consultation Strategy which details the approaches it will use to engaging and consulting with the community ensures that the Council is delivering its Corporate Plan priority of Connected Communities and its Vibrant Communities priority in Our Big Plan.

The details within the Strategy propose far reaching methods to ensure that alongside traditional methods of consultation we are reaching out to seek the views of those who would often not engage in mainstream consultation techniques. This will enable BCP Council to understand how to engage and consult with all sectors of society.

To support the transformation of the council, ensuring communities and partnerships are embedded in the heart of the council as part of its operating model and supporting the development of strength-based approaches to working with our communities.

This strategy enables us to achieve the outcomes in the BCP Council’s Big Plan and the Corporate Strategy regarding our commitment to developing vibrant communities, with an outstanding quality of life, where everyone plays an active role.