Public participation is essential to make sure the voices of citizens are at the heart of decision-making. It provides an opportunity for the needs and aspirations of communities to be heard and allows public service providers to respond.
The purpose of our Participation Strategy is to establish a relationship with communities based on trust, a commitment to listen to all voices and that those voices are heard as we work together to address local priorities.
The Participation Strategy sets out our commitment to strengthening engagement, and a series of actions to make sure every voice in the city can be heard and improve public awareness of its existing democratic participation arrangements.
The Strategy has two distinct components:
- Part one focuses on consultation and engagement to promote citizen voice in decision-making
- Part two focuses on promoting participation in the democratic process