Best Value Local Government Conference

'Consulting with Communities - Effective research and consultation within local authorities' is a one day conference to be held in London on September 19 hosted by Neil Stewart Associates and supported by MORI.

'Consulting with Communities - Effective research and consultation within local authorities' is a one day conference to be held in London on September 19 hosted by Neil Stewart Associates and supported by MORI.

The implementation of Best Value in local government has meant that the need to effectively consult communities has never been greater. Best Value Performance Indicators and Best Value Performance Plans demand that local authorities take account of the views of their local electorate. A failure to consult widely or effectively can lead to wasted resources and a meaningless Plan. Consultation can be a powerful tool for improving the quality of services, heightening the profile of local government and ensuring that the policy makers stay in touch with the needs of citizens.

However, the amount of different consultation exercises now called for can lead to 'consultation overload' - both within authorities and amongst the electorate. The conference aims to explore why consultation is so important, offer solutions for better managing the consultation workload, and look at the future for consultation, both in terms of new developments and its application within the local government sector.

The Keynote Speaker is John Jackson, Head of Best Value Policy, Practice and Dissemination, DTLR.

Other speakers include:

• Richard Abraham, Head of Consultation Unit, London Borough of Southwark
  
• Dr Sue Barnes, Head of Strategic Support, Audit Commission.

All articles 2006-22 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.

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