The Consultation and Engagement Officer gave a presentation to inform the Committee of the consultation work undertaken by the Council’s Engagement Team.

He explained that consultation is a formal process in which the policy makers and service providers invite interested groups and individuals to give their views.  Engagement is an active and participative process which can influence and shape policies and services and includes a wide range of methods and techniques.  He advised on the importance of ensuring that all residents of the Borough are given the opportunity to share their views with the Council on changes that affect them, and took Members through the methods in creating a consultation or engagement exercise, in which an internal toolkit is used and includes the ten national principles for engagement, as devised by Participation Cymru:

1.    Engagement is effectively designed to make a difference.

2.    Encourage and enable everyone affected to be involved, if they choose so.

3.    Engagement is planned and delivered in a timely and appropriate way.

4.    Work with relevant partner organisations.

5.    The information provided will be jargon free, appropriate and understandable.

6.    Make it easier for people to participate.

7.    Enable people to take part effectively.

8.    Engagement is given the right resources and support to be effective.

9.    People are told the impact of their contribution.

10.  Learn and share lessons to improve the process of engagement.

The Consultation and Engagement Officer advised that constituents were beginning to understand the financial constraints local authorities were facing, and consultation with those likely to be affected by a decision increases the transparency of the process.  Furthermore, knowing the audience can make for better use of resources and improve the success of a project. Consultations or engagement can be segregated into the following three categories:

1.    Statutory obligation – when organisations have a legal duty to consult.

2.    Policy commitment – when a particular service provider has its own policy to consult or engage.

3.    Discretionary engagement – when engagement may be considered by services in order to learn from the experience of others, to confirm stakeholders’ priorities, or communicate change and collect views.

The methods selected for consultation or engagement and the resources available are:

·         Websites – Council website, dedicated site, partner sites;

·         Social Media – Twitter, Facebook, Flickr;

·         Push strategy promotion – press releases, bulletins, customer service screens;

·         Internal promotion;

·         Paid advertising – newspapers and radio stations;

·         Posters/leaflet drops – hospitals, surgeries, community centres;

·         Face to face – presentations, public meetings, events;

·         Partnerships;

·         Specific groups and organisations;

·         Other consultations and engagement activities.

The Consultation and Engagement Officer advised that data collected is analyzed in depth, with the findings being made available to all, giving all stakeholders an equal opportunity to respond.  He informed Members that the Citizens Panel is an integral part of the Council’s key targets in order to increase the following:

a)    Ward representation

b)    Improve age representation (16 to 34 year olds)

c)    Improve Welsh language representation

He advised that there were currently 16 Wards in the Borough who were not represented which needed consideration and that people should be encouraged to communicate through e-mail.  He commented that it was also important to encourage Welsh speakers to get involved, particularly as provision through the Welsh medium was already provided.

He then invited questions from Members.

Discussion took place and one Member asked whether visual impairment was addressed on consultations and whether publications were screen readable and dyslexia friendly.

The Consultation and Engagement Officer advised that the corporate colours were used in all publications; however there was an on-line version which turns everything into basic text.  Also, “browse aloud” was available for those who were visually impaired.  They were currently looking into making the system dyslexia friendly and throughout the whole process people are invited to contact his department if they were experiencing any problems.

Another Member referred to the recent issue regarding Welsh speakers and whether there was a strategy to transferring them.  Also with regard to the consultation on learner transport and nursery provision, she asked how children and young people were consulted.

The Consultation and Engagement Officer advised that this issue would come under the easy read format.  Research undertaken had not found an example of best practice in this area in any other local authority.  He advised that the Authority worked with a charitable organisation known as Bridgend People First, a self-advocacy organisation for people with learning disabilities.  He had been working with the Wellbeing team regarding children and as part of their annual review had requested one link on the website to include parents, foster carers, teachers and children which would make it more child-friendly.

In response to a question from a Member, he advised that the communication needs of Deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people were taken into consideration as signing was always available.

One Member referred to the timing of consultations during half term times and school holidays and asked whether there was a process in place to ensure that consultation did not take place at such times.

The Consultation and Engagement Officer explained that if the consultations were directly linked to schools then they would have to be conducted at least 20 out of the 42 days during the school year; however if not linked to the schools they would be carried out during half term times.

Another Member asked whether Welsh media consultation had been carried out in secondary schools.

The Consultation and Engagement Officer advised that they had been working with secondary schools on learner transport and would build on that to include collaboration with the Headteachers.

RESOLVED:       That the Committee considered the report and requested that details of the 16 Wards currently unrepresented are circulated to Members.