Innovation Exchange: Developing local democratic working with communities

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Councils have long aspired to engage residents in hyper-local decisions and collaboration through local democratic structures like Area Forums.

There are great examples out there, but amidst a huge trust gap between citizens and public institutions, many councils are finding that traditional mechanisms of democratic engagement are struggling to engage people – and are trying something different.  But what are the options? How do you ensure that these methods are inclusive?  What do people actually want from engaging with councils?  And how is this done with purpose and best practice in different localities?

Join us at this Innovation Exchange session where we’ll hear about different approaches of democratic working that local authorities have used and see the impact it has had on their relationships with their communities.

There will be plenty of time for discussion in breakout groups to explore how this could look for your council and the benefits of this way of working both for colleagues and for communities. You will acknowledge what barriers may stand in the way and develop together useful ideas to overcome them. 

With colleagues from across the UK you will develop: 

• An understanding of different forms of democratic engagement
• Next steps and key considerations you need to bear in mind when implementing different approaches
• Practical takeaways from colleagues who are already delivering successfully with their communities.

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