Igniting local passion We’ve talked recently about the critical role of local government when regional towns are in decline, but civic leadership doesn’t need to wait for a crisis. People’s passion for a place is...
“For local government to create space for communities to thrive and be engaged, they have to fully step into their role as enablers of community-led development.” Check out this very useful report from the Helen...
How does your community connect vision and projects? Let’s face it, most community members do not know or care what you think their vision is. Or what their priorities are. They don’t think it makes...
Nice one Tweed Shire Council. They wanted feedback on their draft Economic Development Strategy from the business community so what did they do? Knocked on their doors and asked them.
Knowing what citizens want is not enough Citizens are often asked questions about their vision and priorities. They are asked about what services are important to them and how satisfied they are with current performance....
Integrated Planning and Reporting (IPR) – aligning your strategic planning and electoral cycles In our view, aligning local government elections with strategic planning is one of the great benefits of IPR. Citizens can engage in...
We choose Key Research because of their depth of capability in helping local governments understand the perceptions and aspirations of their communities. This is more than just resident satisfaction surveys (important as those questions are)...
Citizens Committees can enhance decision-making We are great believers in Citizens’ Committees although we would seldom use that specific term. ACELG has just released a highly useful report on this subject, The Role and Future...
The best local government leaders support leadership in their communities Many Councils grapple with their civic leadership role. Leading from the front is not always the answer. Inspiring Communities in New Zealand invited a range of...
Many local governments have an intent to engage their young people in community and civic life. This report from Demos in the UK may be of interest. It explores the engagement of youth (10-20 years)...