Consultation
A major part of the Governments modernisation
agenda is to improve the level of involvement of local people in
developing services and local policy.
Consultation helps us to shape our policies and services and
keep us in tune with what our customers want. However, in
order to be effective, all consultation must be meaningful, and to
be meaningful it must be carefully planned, sensibly carried out
and thoughtfully used.
Allerdale Borough Council is committed to
consulting with the public ensuring we engage with a cross-section
of the community to ensure that all of our residents are given the
chance to comment and feedback on issues which affect them. We will
do this through various mechanisms such as:
- public meetings
- paper based surveys
- telephone surveys
- focus groups and workshops
- on-line surveys
- neighbourhood forums
One of the biggest pieces of consultation that we do across
Cumbria is the Place Survey.
Around 3,500 Allerdale residents are asked for
their views on public services, democracy, voluntary work, crime
and disorder which will provide a snapshot of public opinion and
satisfaction with life in the borough.
The Place Survey is sent to randomly selected
households across Cumbria, including Allerdale and is one of
the biggest surveys ever conducted in the county. It provides
information to help the Council and its partners, such as the
health service and police, to understand the views of local people
with the aim of improving services. The Place survey is a national
survey that is conducted by every local authority in the country
and therefore results will be comparable across the country.
(The results of the latest survey can be
downloaded below)
Until the new coalition government came into
office earlier this year the Place Survey was a statutory
requirement which all local authorities had to conduct every two
years, this has now been abolished although the information
is at present still very relevant.
In light of the current Governments decision
to cease the Place Survey, consideration is currently being given
to continue with an annual perceptions survey which will substitute
the Place Survey and hence keep the authority informed of the
public’s views, perceptions and needs.
For more information please contact the Policy and
Communications Team on 01900 702730 or email policy@allerdale.gov.uk
The Council has a consultation
database which is updated regularly with all consultation the
Council has been involved in and also has details of planned
consultation. You can also subscribe to the consultations
feed 