"Many members of the public do not know which organisations provide which services. Even when they do, many problems that they have with local services do not fall neatly into the remit of a single organisation. So consultation plans need to consider services as they affect local people, not as local authorities provide them....

Consulting the public together can encourage officers and members from different organisations to accept joint responsibility for problems, and begin to work on solutions to problems in the same way that service users perceive them."

From the Audit Commission's Management Paper, "Listen up! Effective Community Consultation" (1999)

The Swansea Consultation Partnership is made up of local organisations who have agreed to work towards more effective and joined up consultation, involvement and engagement work in Swansea.

Who are the Swansea Consultation Partnership?

City and County of Swansea                        ABM University Health Board

Swansea Council for Voluntary Service         South Wales Police (Swansea)                   

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue          South Wales Police Authority                      

Welsh Language Board

What does the partnership hope to achieve?

• greater overall citizen engagement
• more citizen focussed service planning
• demonstrable evidence based decision making

How will this be achieved?

The partnership will meet 3 times a year. The meetings will be organised by the chair of the partnership.

Each partner will chair the partnership in turn for one year. Initially Rhian Foote, on behalf of the City and County of Swansea will act as chair.

The meetings will be used to discuss and plan joined up consultation work, to look at what work is already happening and how this is going.

Representation at meetings

Member organisations will nominate a member or staff to sit on the Swansea Consultation Partnership.

This member of staff will be sufficiently informed about their organisations consultation, involvement and engagement work to be able to contribute meaningfully to the partnership.

The representatives will feedback from the partnership to their colleagues as appropriate.

If your organisation is not currently a member of the Swansea Consultation Partnership and you would like more information, please email consultation@swansea.gov.uk