What role are Community Boards playing across the country in local democracy? What are the opportunities for the future role of Community Boards? These two questions are at the heart of this 2018 research project by Callum Hammond and David Hammond. Community Boards were set up in 1989 through the local government reforms of the Fourth Labour Government. Now, 30 years later, this report investigates the effectiveness of Community Boards and make five recommendations for the future.
Do you ever struggle to communicate or understand the investment logic for engagement? Then this article is for you. In it, we build on the work of Rachel Botsman, the author of "Who Can You Trust?". Trust is the most important currency for organisations to survive. But how do we earn trust in our over-communicating world?
Making the wrong decision about a facilitator can be costly. You want to make sure they’re well prepared and experienced. Sometimes it’s fine to use a volunteer or work colleague; sometimes it’s not worth the risk. This article will help you decide whether or not you need to invest in an independent facilitator for your next strategy or engagement process.
The Business Improvement District (BID) model is one of the most exciting and popular placemaking models in the world. But we see an opportunity to strengthen the model by better involving the community in what BIDs do. We’re tentatively calling this a Neighbourhood Improvement Model and we’re seeking expressions of interest from councils or existing BIDs who want to be part of exploring this innovative opportunity. If that sounds interesting to you - read on
Island Bay’s cycleway is a fascinating community engagement case study. Not just because of the roller coaster facts. But also because of High Court’s judicial review of the consultation process. We’ve picked out five lessons from that judgment. These will be valuable for any organisation interested in involving stakeholders and communities in significant investment decisions and projects.
As a project manager, you’ll usually come across the term “community engagement” when you first start working on projects that impact a lot of people. And you’ll start thinking: How do I squeeze engagement into my project timelines? How does this fit with my project management structure? This article suggests there’s no easy answer tho those questions but helps to shine a light on the way forward.
How does your governance involve people in decision-making without challenging or undermining their own power structure? Is that even possible? This article suggests three questions you need to ask your governance before your organisation can truly move forward with community engagement or empowerment.
