Issue - meetings

This report details the development of the Connected Communities – BCP Council’s Community Engagement & Consultation Strategy 2021-2024. The purpose of this strategy is to provide clear principles about how the Council engages and consults with the local community. The report outlines the background, strategic context, engagement, and consultation principles, aims and actions to deliver this across the Council and seeks approval from Cabinet to adopt the strategy.

The strategy outlines a Council-wide approach to ensuring that our engagement and consultation processes are inclusive and accessible and enable us to engage with everyone including those whose voices are often seldom heard in the decision-making process.

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.

The Portfolio Holder for Adults presented a report alongside the Lead Member for Engagement, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'H' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

Cabinet was advised that the report detailed the development of the Connected Communities – BCP Council’s Community Engagement & Consultation Strategy 2021-2024, and that the purpose of this strategy is to provide clear principles about how the Council engages and consults with the local community.

Further to this Cabinet was informed that the report outlined the background, strategic context, engagement, and consultation principles, aims and actions to deliver this across the Council and sought approval from Cabinet to adopt the strategy.

In addition Cabinet was informed that the strategy outlined a Council-wide approach to ensuring that our engagement and consultation processes are inclusive and accessible and enabled the council to engage with everyone including those whose voices are often seldom heard in the decision-making process.

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

To consider the following Community related reports scheduled for Cabinet consideration on 29 September 2021:

•   Community Engagement and Consultation Strategy

The O&S Board is asked to scrutinise and comment on the report and if required make recommendations or observations as appropriate.

Cabinet member invited to attend for this item: Councillor Karen Rampton, Portfolio Holder for Adults and Councillor Jane Kelly, Lead Member for Community Engagement

The Cabinet report for this item is included with the agenda for consideration by the Overview and Scrutiny Board.

The Portfolio Holder for Adults supported by the Lead Member for Engagement presented a report on Community Engagement and Consultation Strategy Report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'C' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

Officers responded to comments and requests for clarification, details included:

• In response to a query, the Board was advised that there had been a large investment in asset-based community development and communicating with residents to get the best results. 
• The Chair enquired about the proposed Area Forums and was advised that the outcome of the consultation was that many residents wanted them as a way of communicating and engaging with BCP Council and therefore they would be supported in the future
• In response to a concern about the consultation platform being unsatisfactory and the need for it to be more intuitive, the feedback was welcomed and the Board was advised that Officers were currently experimenting with different tools to discover what works and what doesn’t.
• The Board was advised that the strategy would build on and improve consultation and engagement using every tool available, not just digital platforms.

The Chairman summarised that the Board welcomed the proposed community engagement with BCP’s residents and thanked Board Members and Officers for their contributions.