Lyons Inquiry:
Lyons publishes findings from public deliberation events
Lyons Inquiry Press Notice: 20 November 2006
Today, at a seminar on effective public engagement co-hosted with the IDEA and LGA, Sir Michael Lyons is to explore the essential role for local authorities in engaging effectively with their citizens. At the event, Sir Michael will also publish the results of work carried out by the Office for Public Management on behalf of the Inquiry which explores in-depth the views of a selection of the public on the role of local government.
Sir Michael said:
"The complexity and scale of the challenges we face today mean that effectively engaging citizens is essential if government is to improve the well-being of local communities.
"The report I am publishing today provides valuable insight into the views of a range of members of the public from my case study areas. The results of these all-day events have helped to inform both my thoughts - and those of the councils concerned - on the views of citizens in their area. I was struck in this work by the interest and willingness of citizens at these events to engage so fully in the issues facing local government. I am grateful to OPM, the officials and councillors from each case study area and all those who attended the events for their time and valuable contributions."
310 people attended the nine full-day events that included large group discussions, breakout workshops and action planning sessions. Participants also used an electronic voting system to respond to questions, vote on priorities, and trade off proposals to the Inquiry.
Participants were recruited by the relevant council and chosen to be broadly representative of their local population using a range of methods. In most areas they were recruited from existing citizens panels, some areas also used on street recruitment and outreach methods. The results are not intended to be representative of the population at large, but provide in-depth insights into participants' views.
The level of contribution from participants during the workshops was high. Most came with only partial awareness of what local government currently did and felt that local government should take on a greater role in engaging with its citizens. Many participants saw a major role for local government in working with local people in service delivery and wider governance, and supported local government taking on a greater place-shaping role in their area. Ninety seven per cent of attendees agreed or strongly agreed that they had enjoyed the event and 91 percent felt it was a good way for local councils to involve people in key decisions.
Following the event, one participant from Chelmsford commented:
"I thoroughly enjoyed participating in the event, and like fellow attendees welcomed the chance to have my personal views about neighbourhood issues heard by local government. The day was well structured, giving everyone the opportunity to voice their opinions on topics ranging from local waste and recycling, to the council's involvement in child protection and community safety."
Both the executive summary and the full report are available on the Lyons Inquiry website:
- Executive summary
- Full report (Adobe Acrobat file 702kb)
Notes for Editors
- Stakeholder Engagement. The nine public deliberation events held over July and August 2006 were just one of a series of events organised by, or on behalf of, the Lyons Inquiry over the course of the summer this year, along with an open consultation. This programme of stakeholder engagement will enable Sir Michael to obtain a broad variety of views from a range of stakeholders to help inform his final report.
- For the public engagement events the Lyons Inquiry worked closely with OPM and the various case study councils to organise a meaningful event in each area. 310 people attended in total.
- For the business engagement events the Inquiry worked closely with a range of organisations including CBI, BCC, London First and the Small Business Service to invite a representative selection of businesses (by sector and by size) working in Coventry, Leeds; London and Newbury. Over 150 business people attended across the four meetings. A summary of this work is available on the Lyons Inquiry website (Adobe Acrobat file 256kb).
- For the councillor events publicity was placed in The Municipal Journal, Local Government First and on the Lyons Inquiry website seeking applicants to attend. The Inquiry held three councillor events; in London (with support from London Councils - formerly the ALG), Warwickshire (with the help of Warwickshire County Council) and in Liverpool (with the help of Liverpool City Council). 75 councillors attended these meetings in total. A summary of this work is available on the Lyons Inquiry website (Adobe Acrobat file 220kb).
- Background. Sir Michael Lyons was originally commissioned in July 2004 by the Deputy Prime Minister and the Chancellor to make recommendations on how to reform the local government funding system by December 2005. On 20 September 2005 the remit of the Inquiry was extended to enable Sir Michael to consider issues of function before finalising his conclusions on funding.
- On 15 December 2005 Sir Michael issued a consultation paper and interim report. A further paper was published on 8 May 2006 entitled "National Prosperity, local choice and civic engagement". The Inquiry will conclude with a final report to Ministers in December 2006.
- Copies of reports, submissions, research commissioned, and the terms of reference for the Inquiry, can be found on the Lyons Inquiry website.
