Citizen Advisory Groups

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Brief Description:

Citizen advisory groups involve 10-30 members of the public who sit as a committee to inform and advise decision making.
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Description:

Advisory groups can take many different forms depending on the exact purpose of the group.
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The group needs to have access to relevant information and may meet either over a couple of days as a one-off event, or regularly over a longer period.
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Used For:

When seeking direction from citizens over a specific issue or set of issues.
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Suitable participants:

Can be a representative sample of the local population, representatives of particular groups (for example older people) or specific individuals, such as community leaders.
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Cost:

Medium

Costs of the events themselves are usually not high, but the cost of recruiting, supporting and rewarding the participants increases costs.

Time Requirements:

Allow a minimum of three months to set up and run a citizens advisory group.
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When To Use / What It Can Deliver:

Can create effective and on-going dialogue that allow issues and concerns to be explored in depth, and ideally addressed, while the participants are still involved.
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When Not To Use / What It Cannot Deliver:

Do not set up an advisory group if you are not willing to take on board their advice and recommendations.
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Strengths:

Helps the service provider understand the user perspective.
Can provide an early warning of potential problems and be a useful sounding board to test plans and ideas.
Regular meetings over an extended period of time gives participants a chance to get to know each other, which can help discussions.

Weaknesses:

Requires a long term commitment from participants; hence recruiting and retaining participants can be difficult.
Can appear exclusive to those who are not included.
Involves only a small number of people and therefore does not provide statistically significant data.
Participants can become less representative over time, advisory groups may need to be renewed regularly.

Origin:

External advisers to government decisions are not a new phenomenon. However over the past decades it has become increasingly common for citizens rather than just established experts to fill this role.
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Case Studies:

Citizen Advisory Group on Waste (CAGoW), Milton Keynes (CaseStudies)

Related Methods

Restrictions In Use

None

Further Information

http://www.mkweb.co.uk/local_plan_review/documents/201205_CAGOW.pdf
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