The government’s plan to raise the bar for including consultation requirements in legislation is a risky move that could threaten public trust in politics.
At a time when only 4% of the public think that politicians do what is best for the country, and 72% feel powerless to influence decisions affecting their lives, this is not the time to stifle the voices of people wanting to get involved in policy making.
Instead, this is the time to be ensuring fair access to the government for the widest possible range of stakeholders.
If ministers are concerned about how consultations operate, there are so many steps it could take to make them more worth the time.
For example, it could:
- make them more accessible by using plainer English and advertising them more widely;
- make them fairer by involving stakeholders in developing the consultation;
- be more transparent by explaining how the responses fed into the final policy conclusion.
Ironically, the government has at the same time made some positive moves towards involving citizens more in decision-making. This includes the annual Energising Britain event to involve people in climate policy-making, the citizens’ assembly on digital ID, the Change NHS initiative to bring patients’ and staff views into the 10-year Health Plan, and citizen involvement in Defra’s Food Strategy.
Citizen involvement should not just be isolated cases, however, but part of the culture of government. And consultations are a crucial part of that culture.
Ultimately, quality of policy matters as much as speed. Rushed or poorly informed policymaking often ends up taking longer to fix.
As the Resolution Foundation has found, the government’s U-turns since coming into office – such as on disability benefits, pub business-rate rises, and winter fuel allowance – have cost the taxpayer £8bn. These are all U-turns that might have been avoided with better stakeholder engagement.
While improving policy delivery is vital, consultations are a key part of that delivery. Reducing their use opens the door to poor decision-making that is disconnected from the public, when what we need is considered and deliberative engagement.
