Consulting the Public

Impenetrable public bodies such as local councils sometimes have to justify their decisions and prove their accountability by going through a tiresome process called consulting the public. Already wearied by contacts with aggressive outside interests anxious to get their hands on prime assets, this further demand on the time of our honest public servants is never relished. Hence the temptation to cut corners. Consultations in general were discussed at the recent meeting of the Scrutiny Board of S.C.C. (Culture, Economy and Sustainability). Blacka Blogger's take on this is below:

Froth on the Blacka Dyke

There are, occasionally, very good consultations which start with a blank sheet. These are all too few. Most consultations are still overwhelmingly top down and the authorities have made their minds up before they start: there’s no other option on the table and the powers that be are simply setting about persuading the public they’re right. Then there are the worst of the lot, consultations which try to appear to start with a blank sheet but have been skewed beforehand by various strategies. There are many devious ways this can be done, such as withholding key information or providing false information. The Blacka Moor consultation was one of these, a case of barefaced deception.