Release Date: 17/11/2008
Richmond Council wants to hear how happy people are with how it gathers opinions - and how it can improve its public consultation system.
Residents are being asked to go online and have their say, on the council’s website.
In September, the Council’s Co-ordination, Finance and Performance Commission set up a scrutiny task group to examine how public consultation is undertaken in the borough, to assess how satisfied residents are with the process and where improvements might be made.
The task group has held public meetings with local interest groups such as voluntary and residents’ associations as well as within the council’s own directorates.
The group now wants to hear the views of those who have not had a chance to attend meetings.
The chairman of the task group, Cllr John Coombs, said:
“Overview and scrutiny is vital to the proper functioning of local democracy and this is why we are currently scrutinising the borough’s public consultation process, with the aim of making it more effective and efficient.
“It is critical to the group’s work that we hear from as many members of the public as possible. If you have not had a chance to give evidence to the task group, now is your opportunity.”
The following link leads to the task group’s web page and a short questionnaire; anyone who has recently taken part in a consultation exercise but not given evidence to the task group and would like to comment, should complete the form by 28 November 2008. The findings will be analysed and help the group members when they report back to the Commission. Results of the survey will be published on the website early in 2009.
Go to the Public Consultation Scrutiny Task Group page.
For further information on the scrutiny task groups please contact Glenna McCulloch on 020 8891 7760.