7th Annual Conference held in association with Ipsos MORI and The Consultation Institute

This event enabled delegates from across local authorities, health, police and associated stakeholders to come together to discuss and understand the latest developments around engaging with local communites. Over half of local authorities have selected ‘Community Engagements’ as a priority within their Local Area Agreement. Feedback from the Comprehensive Area Assessment consultation indicates that priorities will be assessed by how well they are underpinned by the communities’ wants and needs, in the area assessment from November 2009. This will not solely be looking at local authorities, but how well all public agencies in an area consult. As involving, informing and consulting with our communities moves higher up the agenda, resources are becoming ever more constrained. This conference not only examined how to best consult, but how to do so effectively and efficiently with best practice case studies demonstrating where this is already happening.