Community Engagement
Community engagement provides people with the opportunities to
have a greater say in what happens in their
District. Harrogate Borough Council is committed
to ensuring that residents of Harrogate District, our service users
and all other interested parties have the opportunity to be
involved in the planning, prioritising and monitoring of our
services.
We recognise the diversity of our communities and the need to
provide opportunities for individuals and communities to
participate at a level they wish to influence service delivery,
decision making and policy development. What we
want is a strong, prosperous, active and cohesive community.
Harrogate Borough Council Community Engagement
Strategy
This is our strategy for improving community engagement and
empowerment of the the residents of the Harrogate district through
agreed values and principles and using a wide range of
techniques
In conjunction with the strategy we have developed
community engagement guidance, this is a practical
guide that identifies the considerations that should be made
before any consultation or engagement activity takes place and
establishes a standard to which all council consultations should
adhere.
Community Engagement and Consultation in the Harrogate
District
To ensure the co-ordination of all community engagement
activity across the Council, all Council officers intending to
carry out any community consultation and engagement complete a
Community Engagement Registration Form.
This ensures that all community engagement is recorded,
co-ordinated and carried out to the same standards.
An up-to-date version of the summary Community
Engagement Register can be found below this provides a list
of all consultation planned along with timescales, methods to be
used and details of the contact officer from whom you can obtain
further information. The impact of consultations and
information on what happened as a result of the
consultation is also included within the register.
The District Panel is made up of 1500 residents and was set up
in 1999 to consult residents across the District on issues that
affect them.
The Panel is consulted up to four
times a year by questionnaire on a wide variety of topics and
issues that affect quality of life of the
District.
If you are interested in becoming a
member please contact the Corporate Improvement Officer on
Harrogate 556068 or via email
districtpanel@harrogate.gov.uk.
Background information on the District Panel can be found
below.
The District Panel has been consulted on a wide range of
topics, reports from previous consultations can be requested
from the Corporate Improvement Officer on
Harrogate 556068 or via email
districtpanel@harrogate.gov.uk
Reports 2006-2007
Overview and Scrutiny
Climate Change and Renewable Energy
Volunteering
Budget 2007/8
Measuring Feelings of Safety
Street Cleansing and Waste & Recycling
Corporate Prioirties
Parking
AONB
Harrogate International Centre
Planning
Customer Services
2008/2009
Large Waste
Budget 2008/2009
Corporate Priorities
Private Hire and Hackney Carriage Deregulation
Homelessness
Smoke Free Harrogate
Harrogate Skate Park
Harrogate Library
2009/2010
Budget 2009/2010
Corporate Prioirties
Statement of Account
Tree policy
Election Proposals
Leadership Model
Harrogate Public Involvement Group
The main role of the Public Involvement Group is to provide
support to individual agencies (public, private and voluntary
sector) carrying out consultations/engagement involving the public,
customers, users and stakeholders. The group oversees the
impact of consultations and shares best
practice.
The group meets quarterly. For
further information contact
engagement@harrogate.gov.uk
Community Engagement Research information
Black and Minority Ethnic Report
Harrogate and Area Council for Voluntary Service has carried
out a Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) mapping study (March
2006). The study sought to substantiate the
nature of activity, support and engagement with BME people in the
Harrogate District.
This study has four key purposes:
- To identify agencies used by BME people
- To identify who is working on BME issues
- To collate information on the work that is in progress to
support people from BME groups
- To raise awareness of the nature of support that is sought by
BME people
Click Here to
View
Citizenship and Belonging in the Harrogate
District
In Summer 2005 Harrogate Borough Council participated in a
research study carried out by the University of Liverpool examining
'The state of Local Democracy'. The research was
conducted in two districts in Northern England Harrogate and
Burnley. Within this study a common set of
questions was put to both the Harrogate and Burnley District
Panels. A copy of the Harrogate results can be
found below. The findings of the full
consultation are now published in a paperback book entitled 'Whose
Town is it Anyway, The state of Local Democracy in Two Northern
Towns' by Stuart Wilks-Heeg and Steve
Clayton.
Involving Young People
Young people are the future of our District and should have a
say in how it should develop. Harrogate Borough Coucil values
the views of young people and has taken steps over recent years to
ensure young people have a voice:
Step 1 - 'Living Here' Young People Event
In 2006 Harrogate Borough Council commissioned Connexions York
and North Yorkshire with the aim of finding out the views of young
people aged 11-18 living in the Harrogate
District. Young people from the district
fed back their views to Councillors and service
managers. See below for more information.
Step 2 - 'Living Here' The Connexions
Report
We had some really excellent feedback from the
event. Please see below for a copy of the Connexions
Report.
Step 3 - A Youth Participation Plan for Harrogate
Borough Council 2008-2011
In 2008 Harrogate Borough Council agreed a Youth Participation
Plan. The Plan incorporates an Action Plan to enhance the
involvement of children and young people in Harrogate Borough
Council's services, policies and decision-making. See below for a
copy of the HBC Youth Participation Plan.
Step 4 - Actively Involving Children and Young People
project year 1(2008-2009)
This was a multi agency partnership project set up to support
local service providers wishing to improve the involvement of
children and young people in shaping and delivery of public
services in the District.
Step 5 - Actively Involving Children and Young People
Partnership Project year 2 (2009-2010)
The partnership is now entering an exciting second
phase. With 4 key funding partners: Harrogate Borough
Council, North Yorkshire County Council, Harrogate District Safer
Communities Partnership and North Yorkshire Police. North
Yorkshire Youth and Harrogate and area CVS have been commissioned
to run the project, to embed the progress achieved in year 1,
provide advice and support to practioners of youth engagement and
help coordinate youth engagement so that the same young people are
not asked the same questions time and time again. They will
also provide training advice.
Youth Councils
In 2009-2010 Youth Councils will be progressed throughout
the County by North Yorkshire County Council, the project
partnership will hopefully make the connections between young
people of the Youth Councils and the adult democratic
processes.
Harrogate Library Development
Harrogate Library is undergoing a huge refurbishment with the
aid of BIG lottery funding. The library is due to reopen in
October 2010 and is temporariy located at Copthall bridge House
Harrogate
Want to know more about Community Engagement?
Contact: Corporate Improvement Officer
(Engagement/Empowerment) on