Planning how you want the community to be involved

There is no 'one-size-fits all' approach to involving communities. We have many different relationships with residents and communities, and many different kinds of issues that we might engage them in.

How you want communities to participate in your project or activity will depend on a range of factors, including how much influence community members will have and how deeply they will be involved.

If it is really not possible for the community to influence the process or outcome of your project , then it is better to communicate this well, rather than raise expectations that you can’t meet.

Historically we have done a lot of consultation (where we seek feedback to inform decision-making), and doing this well can make a huge difference to the success of any piece of work. It may be that consulting well is the right approach for you.
Sometimes you may want to work in partnership with communities to take forward opportunities or to find solutions together, to co-design, co-produce or co-deliver improvements. Check out our glossary to understand these terms.

As we try to bring greater community power to Barnet, it may be that it is right that communities take the lead.

Sometimes a piece of work might include more than one approach to participation e.g. consultation on overall plans for a park, and co-design of the play area.

What approach suits each element of the work you are doing? Where is it possible to move towards partnership or community leadership where you might previously have only consulted?

To help you consider your options, you can use the Participation kick-starter tool.

Once you have considered what type of participation is appropriate for each stage of work, consider which engagement methods will suit your topics, timelines and aims. You can explore ideas in the links provided.

Below is a prompt question to help you think about your role in the process.

More reading

For more information see our Community Participation Strategy.