Issue - meetings

a)       to endorse the draft ‘A Listening Council’ set of principles for informing, engaging and consulting residents, businesses and stakeholders for public consultation.

The Executive Member for Resident Engagement presented the Listening Council report. He said that the report was designed to change to culture of the council when engaging with residents and that previously, East Herts had used the same channels to consult with residents and the same people responded each time.

The Executive Member for Resident Engagement said that the report set out a framework about how to consult with residents and provided a set of principles about how the council could find the groups that did not often get involved. He said that during the last election campaign, many residents expressed that they felt they were not being listened to and this document was a response to that to help them feel more engaged in the decision making process.

Councillor Wilson proposed that the recommendation in the report be supported. Councillor Dumont seconded the proposal.

Councillor Goldspink said that she strongly supported the recommendation. She said that an accepted principle and ethos of the council was to always listen to its residents. She said that members were here to serve their residents and said that they were much more likely to be able to do that if they knew what they think and need. She said that the council needed to engage with all residents, not just those who were interested and engaged in the political process.

Councillor Dumont said he strongly endorsed the recommendation and said it was a good starting point. He said that culture change did not happen overnight, and the document was a good foundation to learn and improve. He added that the council needed to make sure that it consulted with a wider and more diverse section of the community as possible.

Councillor Crystall said the document would help change the way Members worked over the next four years. He thanked Councillor Wilson and the Head of Housing and Health for driving it forward.

The motion to support the recommendation having been proposed and seconded was put to the meeting and upon a vote being taken, was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – that the draft ‘A Listening Council’ set of principles for informing, engaging and consulting residents, businesses and stakeholders be endorsed for public consultation.