7. Monitoring and feedback
7.1. The council will review engagement activity following each consultation to support the continuous improvement and understanding of who is and isn’t taking part. Where gaps in participation are identified, the strategy may be reviewed.
Table 4. Engagement monitoring
| Indicator | What will be monitored |
| Diversity | Number and type of community groups and specific organisations engaged. |
| Geographic reach | Geographic spread of respondents across towns, villages, rural areas will be reviewed. |
| Response methods | Proportion of responses by method, including online, paper, email, event feedback, workshops and stakeholder submissions. |
| Transparency and feedback | Publication of consultation summaries in line with published timetable. |
7.2. There are a number of potential risks associated with delivering this strategy. To minimise the impact, we have undertaken a risk assessment to identify risks and how they can be mitigated. This is a live document which enables changes to be made in response to feedback and other influencing factors.
Table 5. Risk assessment
| Risks | Mitigation |
| Compliance with statutory requirements | Ensure relevant regulations and requirements are considered early and met at each stage. |
| Financial and/or resource implications | Realistic budgeting for each stage of engagement and realistic programming of officer time, including time to analyse responses. |
| Changes to national policy, legislation and guidance | Ensure engagement programme is adaptable and that we can quickly and effectively communicate any changes. Ensure officers keep up to date with emerging policy. |
| Expectation – stakeholder and public | Ensure key messages provided at each consultation stage are clear as to how and where feedback will be used. Manage expectations and provide consistent messaging. Ensure local plan database is kept up to date. |
| Public and stakeholder awareness of consultations | Ensure early notification of upcoming consultations through a range of communication channels. |
| Possible low engagement from hard-to-reach groups | Review engagement methods and taking onboard feedback from consultation stages. |
| Rural exclusion | Potential for events in more rural locations and listening to parish council feedback. |
| Digital exclusion | In-person and paper alternatives. |