Published: Monday 2 March 2020
The ‘Charter for Public Participation’ adopted by Council on 22 January came into effect and was formally incorporated into the Council Constitution on 1 March 2020.
Following the 12 week public consultation in late 2019, the Charter was shaped by public and internal feedback as we wanted local people’s voices and ideas at the heart of what we do.
Some of the items the adopted Charter highlights include:
- Involving local people in decision making – allowing ample opportunity for residents to get involved and share feedback with Councillors
- Openness and transparency – making it easier for residents to find contact information for their local Councillors to share concerns
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Consultations – routinely consulting for at least six weeks when developing significant plans, policies and projects
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Accessibility – making it easy for all of our residents to find out about, attend and get involved in council meetings, especially scrutiny activities
The Charter does reinforce our commitments to serve local people but it also lays out what a healthy relationship between a modern local council and local people should look like.
The Charter notes that residents expect to have a say on things that affect their communities, to help shape the decisions made by the Council and to contribute to the development of services, plans and programmes alongside Council officers and local councillors.