CitizenLab: council launches new consultation website
Consultation within the local community is arguably central to the way that democratic authorities should conduct themselves, not just every few years at the ballot box, but whenever major projects that will affect many people’s lives are up for decision. Hastings Borough Council (HBC) has attracted waves of criticism in recent years, some of them washed in by this newspaper, for lack of transparency in the way that proposals are discussed and decisions taken. There’s a general feeling that neither councillors nor officers understand the concept of consultation, and that recent planning debacles – for instance, the obstinate persistence in the plan to develop a residential estate on the flood plain of Bulverhythe Tier 1, and the failure to provide proper facilities for disabled visitors to the restaurant at Harold Place – could have been avoided if community voices had been heeded in time.
The Hastings Town Deal, which promises £24.3m of capital investment in and around the town centre has been, to date, another project low on public consultation. This is despite its central government promoters drawing up protocols to warn that bids would only be successful if they could demonstrate general community support. But perhaps HBC has taken heed after all. Last week it launched a new CitizenLab website which, according to the press release, “gives residents the chance to have their say and get involved in projects within the town… As part of the site you will be able to pinpoint projects that are already in place and up and running, and make suggestions for other projects for future consideration. The consultations will be open for a set period of time and feedback and suggestions will be considered by officers and councillors to see what can be progressed.”
The Town Deal is the first programme of work being uploaded onto this website. More projects will be added to the site as they develop, according to HBC.
Cllr Kim Forward, outgoing council leader, said: “This new website will give us lots of opportunities to engage with people to find out their thoughts on a range of different topics and projects starting with the Town Deal. We all know the climate emergency is the biggest issue facing us and it is important that we all work together to tackle it. I am pleased that this new way of communicating will make it easy for people to share their thoughts and ideas with us.”
• The CitizenLab website can be found at https://hastings.citizenlab.co/en-GB Consultees are invited to sign up for an account to get involved in the discussion.
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