Local Resident petitions Shropshire Council - “We Want Better Engagement!”

"We need to get away from 'tick - box' exercises and have meaningful engagement" says Stephen Mulloy, who has set up the e-petition on Shropshire Council's website in the hope of getting 1,000 signatures to force a full Council debate to review the methods used.

Stephen said:

"There have been many instances lately where the council's consultation process has been ineffective. This was highlighted recently by the distress caused to staff and users of the Adult Day Care Centres on discovering that some centres were to close, but they had not been consulted!

Also residents of Bicton were alarmed to find out that up to 750 homes are to be built on their doorstep and felt they had not been consulted properly either."

Engagement with the public should take place at a time when the views of the community can make a difference, but Stephen says:

"All too often, initial consultations are targeted to those the council feels can contribute most to the process, they use the 80:20 rule that says 80% of the results come from the first 20% of effort. But this is more commonly known as 'The Vital Few & Trivial Many' process and although it works well in a business environment, studies have shown it does not work in social economics."

His campaign is to encourage everyone to sign the petition who feels the community needs a better voice in local decisions, thus forcing a debate at Full Council and encouraging Shropshire Council to review the methods they use for public consultation. "Lets show the council that the 'trivial many' do count" remarked Stephen.

The petition can be viewed at: http://petitions.shropshire.gov.uk/petitions.ti/reviewofconsultations