Why do it?

There is a whole wealth of information available on the benefits of citizen involvement in development projects (see links).

The British Government has regularly committed itself to the concept of community involvement. The following examples can be very useful in strengthening your case for the allocation of resources to a strategy of community involvement.

A New Commitment to Neighbourhood Renewal: National Strategy Action Plan (2001) emphasises the importance of community involvement as a way of improving public services in areas suffering from deprivation. the document argues that community involvement is essential to sustaining regeneration activity in deprived areas, once short-term grants have run out.

'Neighbourhood renewal starts from a proper understanding of the needs of communities. Communities need to be consulted and listened to, and the most effective interventions are often those where communities are actively involved in their design and delivery, and where possible in the driving seat.'

Such a view is the result of the evaluations of past Government initiatives that achieved targets based on indicators of output but did not result in sustainable social, economic, and environmental improvements in an area. The community involvement envisaged in A New Commitment is at both local authority and neighbourhood levels.

The Audit Commission identifies the main potential benefits of consultation as:

'The Government wishes to see consultation and participation embedded into the culture of all councils, including parishes, and undertaken across a wide range of each council's responsibilities. It will be a key feature of the approach to producing a community plan and achieving best value through performance review and the development of local performance plans.'

Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) Modern Local Government In Touch with the People

Legislation

1. Community strategies

Under the Local Government Act of 2000 each local authority must produce  a strategy for enhancing the quality of life of its local community. The strategies are to be developed by the local strategic partnerships (LSPs) (partnerships of all the key public, private and voluntary agencies whose activities impact the life of the community). Local community residents must be fully involved in preparing the community strategy.

Community strategies must satisfy four objectives.

'The process by which community strategies are produced is as important as the strategy itself. The preparation process will be the means by which local people and organisations can be drawn into democratic decision-making. It will be vital to ensure wide local ownership of the community planning process, which should therefore be predominantly ‘bottom up’ rather than ‘top down’.'

Preparing Community Strategies
Government Guidance to Local Authorities. Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (2000)

2. Best Value

Both community planning and Best Value are based on the principles that councils should be working in consultation with local people and in partnership with other key agencies. Consultation is at the heart of Best Value, helping to ensure that services deliver what people really want and need.

Best Value means providing local people what they want, when they want it, at a price they are willing and able to pay. It's also about being imaginative in how local needs are met.

However far more important than these government proclamations are the moral issues around consulting with local people. Some of which are summarised by our answers to Frequently asked Questions.