How to get the best value out of community engagement

At the forthcoming ‘Digital Engagement’ conference, Nick Kingsbury of Objective Corporation will argue that: “Government has been actively exploring the key issues around the use of digital technologies in the public sector and determining how it can engage more effectively with citizens to increase social inclusion and efficiency whilst delivering better public services.”

Nick will comment that: “Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been quoted as saying that ‘The digital age presents huge opportunities for individually-tailored public services, mainly delivered electronically and always with greater efficiency. Government must be at the forefront of this modernisation.’ This clear message is already being translated into positive action and that is where the IT industry itself can add real and lasting value.”

He will continue: “The internet continues to have a huge impact on our lives. We are now in the midst of a digital revolution – the worldwide internet population currently stands at 1.56 billion people. Whilst 65% of UK households have access to the Internet, and 7 out of 10 of us go online every month, over 17 million people in the UK are still excluded from this digital revolution.

“According to the latest research findings from the Citizenship Survey, 79% of people consider it important to have a real say over local decisions and yet 61% believed that they had no influence at a local level with a further 78% stating they had no say at all at a national level.  This disconnect is being heeded by Government in the recent Digital Britain Report.”

“At that local level, government is playing a crucial role in delivering better outcomes for their citizens and in shaping the local area. It is responsible for a broad range of services – either directly or through commissioning and for monitoring how services are delivered. Underpinning this is the statutory requirement for consultation, which enables government to make informed decisions” he will state. “The issue recognised by government is how to empower the citizen in the digital age in the consultation process. It is very interesting working with organisations, such as the Environment Agency, who are leading the way in taking advantage of the new tools and technologies available to public sector organisations. By providing the ability for people to be involved with public consultations online, the Environment Agency are able to reach more people, significantly increase staff efficiency and maintain consistency throughout all public consultations.”

Cath Beaver, Stakeholder Relations Manager at the Environment Agency, will be presenting the real-life opportunities presented by digital consultation, and the results achieved by the Environment Agency, at the same event.

Limehouse Software, an Objective Corporation company, has been active within the public sector with its uEngage solution. uEngage is a robust, simple to use hosted platform allowing consultation through a variety of on and offline response mechanisms – from electronic documents, meetings and surveys to polls, message boards and forums. 

The company recently hit a milestone, having received over 1 million comments through the online consultation system.

To date, it has enabled many local authorities and other public sector bodies to deliver a broad range of consultations – on subjects ranging from building a casino or planning new transport routes, to restructuring health services.

“The purpose and outcome of these consultations has been varied but in all cases the uEngage system has enabled organisations to take a more co-ordinated, strategic approach to community involvement and to make informed decisions based on the easily-analysed results. In the digital age consultation will be about community empowerment and forward thinking public sector bodies are already adapting to change enabling citizens to make a real impact in their communities,” Nick will conclude.