CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html><html data-wf-page="640892e405a4655dc2544895" lang="en"><head><meta charset="utf-8"><title>UK Public Consultation: Best Practice - SmartSurvey</title><meta content="Discover best practices for UK public consultations, from legal frameworks and stakeholder engagement to effective survey design and data compliance." name="description"><meta content="UK Public Consultation: Best PracticeTurn Survey Data into Actionable Insights with Dashboards and Sentiment Analysis" property="og:title"><meta content="Discover best practices for UK public consultations, from legal frameworks and stakeholder engagement to effective survey design and data compliance." property="og:description"><meta content="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/64022de562115a8189fe542a/6718b2f6952358ee5d1013d2_public-consultation-best-practice.png" property="og:image"><meta content="UK Public Consultation: Best PracticeTurn Survey Data into Actionable Insights with Dashboards and Sentiment Analysis" property="twitter:title"><meta content="Discover best practices for UK public consultations, from legal frameworks and stakeholder engagement to effective survey design and data compliance." property="twitter:description"><meta content="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/64022de562115a8189fe542a/6718b2f6952358ee5d1013d2_public-consultation-best-practice.png" property="twitter:image"><meta property="og:type" content="website"><meta content="summary_large_image" name="twitter:card"><meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" name="viewport"><link href="/wf-assets/css/smartsurvey.webflow.8ee7dd6ee.min.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"><script src="https://use.typekit.net/oao0nqo.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script type="text/javascript">try{Typekit.load();}catch(e){}</script><script type="text/javascript">!function(o,c){var n=c.documentElement,t=" w-mod-";n.className+=t+"js",("ontouchstart"in o||o.DocumentTouch&&c instanceof DocumentTouch)&&(n.className+=t+"touch")}(window,document);</script><link href="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63ece81ba4a783f18434aad2/63ece9e8fdf85eaa8850dcd2_favicon.png" rel="shortcut icon" type="image/x-icon"><link href="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63ece81ba4a783f18434aad2/63ecea56433aca441e35f1a7_webclip.png" rel="apple-touch-icon"><meta property="og:site_name" content="SmartSurvey"> <meta property="og:locale" content="en_GB"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="/apple-touch-icon.png"> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" href="/favicon-32x32.png"> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="16x16" href="/favicon-16x16.png"> <link rel="manifest" href="/site.webmanifest"> <link rel="mask-icon" href="/safari-pinned-tab.svg" color="#f0641b"> <meta name="msapplication-TileColor" content="#2b5797"> <meta name="theme-color" content="#ffffff">  <script>window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag() { dataLayer.push(arguments); } gtag('consent', 'default', { 'ad_storage': 'denied', 'analytics_storage': 'denied', 'wait_for_update': 1500 }); gtag('set', 'ads_data_redaction', true); </script>   <script type="text/javascript"> (function (a, e, c, f, g, b, d) { var h = { ak: "1071449239", cl: "xCaoCMmJ8WQQl4n0_gM" }; a[c] = a[c] || function () { (a[c].q = a[c].q || []).push(arguments) }; a[f] || (a[f] = h.ak); b = e.createElement(g); b.async = 1; b.src = "//www.gstatic.com/wcm/loader.js"; d = e.getElementsByTagName(g)[0]; d.parentNode.insertBefore(b, d); a._googWcmGet = function (b, d, e) { a[c](2, b, h, d, null, new Date, e) } })(window, document, "_googWcmImpl", "_googWcmAk", "script"); </script>   <script>(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start': new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src= 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f); })(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-KC3JWW');</script>  <style> @media screen and (min-width: 600px) { #cookiefirst-root>div:first-child{opacity:0.6;} #cookiefirst-root>div:nth-child(2) {max-width: 1180px} #cookiefirst-root>div:nth-child(2)>div {padding: 5%;height: 80vh;display: flex;flex-direction: column;justify-content: center;border: 160px solid #eaede3;border-radius: 6px!important;border-top-width: 10vh;border-bottom-width: 10vh;} #cookiefirst-root>div:nth-child(2)>div>div:first-child{display: inline-block;} #cookiefirst-root button span {padding: 10px 0;} } </style><link rel="canonical" href="https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/blog/public-consultation-best-practice"> <meta property="og:url" content="https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/blog/public-consultation-best-practice"> <meta property="article:published_time" content="Nov 21, 2024"> <meta property="article:modified_time" content="Nov 22, 2024"> <style> .w-richtext a.button {text-decoration: none;} .w-richtext iframe {width: 100%;height: 100%;min-height: 375px;} .w-richtext .wp-block-image img {height: auto;vertical-align: bottom;border: 10px solid #EEE;} .w-richtext figure {position: relative;max-width:80%;margin:0 auto;margin-bottom: 1rem;} .w-richtext figure.wp-block-table {max-width: 100%} .wp-block-table td { border: 1px solid rgba(0,0,0,.1); padding: 10px; } .sub-bullet { margin-left: 1rem; background-image: url("https://global-uploads.webflow.com/63ece81ba4a783f18434aad2/63fcf4bf1487e6a2f6a84d75_green-bullet-outlined.svg") !important; } .sub-bullet-2 { margin-left: 2rem; } @media (max-width: 767px) { .sub-bullet { margin-left: 0.75rem; } .sub-bullet-2 { margin-left: 1.5rem; } } </style> <style> .text-rich-text .bullet-block-h4 { margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0; } .text-rich-text ul.tick-list { list-style: none; padding-left: 0; margin:0} .text-rich-text ul.tick-list li { position: relative; padding-left: 1.5em; background: none;} .text-rich-text ul.tick-list li:before { content: ''; position: absolute; left: 0; top: 0.25rem; width: 1em; height: 1em; background: url("data:image/svg+xml;utf8,<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?><svg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='1em' viewBox='0 0 448 512'><path d='M438.6 105.4c12.5 12.5 12.5 32.8 0 45.3l-256 256c-12.5 12.5-32.8 12.5-45.3 0l-128-128c-12.5-12.5-12.5-32.8 0-45.3s32.8-12.5 45.3 0L160 338.7 393.4 105.4c12.5-12.5 32.8-12.5 45.3 0z'/></svg>") no-repeat; } .text-rich-text .w-embed {width:100%} .text-rich-text .margin-bottom-0 { margin-bottom: 0;} .text-rich-text figure.w-richtext-figure-type-image.w-richtext-align-fullwidth img { box-shadow: 3px 3px 70px rgb(0 0 0 / 17%); margin-bottom: 2rem; } .text-rich-text figure.w-richtext-align-fullwidth>figcaption { margin-bottom: 2rem; } </style><link rel="alternate" href="https://www.smartsurvey.com/blog/public-consultation-best-practice" hreflang="en-US"><link rel="alternate" href="https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/blog/public-consultation-best-practice" hreflang="en-GB"><link rel="alternate" href="https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/blog/public-consultation-best-practice" hreflang="x-default"></head><body class="body"><div class="global-styles w-embed"><style> /* Prevent horizontal scrollbars */ body { overflow-x: hidden; } /* Hide scrollbar for Chrome, Safari and Opera */ .tabs-menu::-webkit-scrollbar { display: none; } /* Hide scrollbar for IE, Edge and Firefox */ .tabs-menu { -ms-overflow-style: none; /* IE and Edge */ scrollbar-width: none; /* Firefox */ } .w-nav[data-animation="over-right"] .w-nav-overlay, .w-nav[data-animation="over-right"] [data-nav-menu-open] { z-index: 10 !important; } /* Make text look crisper and more legible in all browsers */ body { -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -moz-osx-font-smoothing: grayscale; font-smoothing: antialiased; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; } /* Focus state style for keyboard navigation for the focusable elements */ *[tabindex]:focus-visible, input[type="file"]:focus-visible { outline: 0.125rem solid #4d65ff; outline-offset: 0.125rem; } /* Get rid of top margin on first element in any rich text element */ .w-richtext > :not(div):first-child, .w-richtext > div:first-child > :first-child { margin-top: 0 !important; } /* Get rid of bottom margin on last element in any rich text element */ .w-richtext>:last-child, .w-richtext ol li:last-child, .w-richtext ul li:last-child { margin-bottom: 0 !important; } /* Prevent all click and hover interaction with an element */ .pointer-events-off { pointer-events: none; } /* Enables all click and hover interaction with an element */ .pointer-events-on { pointer-events: auto; } /* Create a class of .div-square which maintains a 1:1 dimension of a div */ .div-square::after { content: ""; display: block; padding-bottom: 100%; } /* Make sure containers never lose their center alignment */ .container-medium,.container-small, .container-large { margin-right: auto !important; margin-left: auto !important; } .modal-content { overflow-y: scroll !important; } /* Make the following elements inherit typography styles from the parent and not have hardcoded values. Important: You will not be able to style for example "All Links" in Designer with this CSS applied. Uncomment this CSS to use it in the project. Leave this message for future hand-off. */ /* a, .w-input, .w-select, .w-tab-link, .w-nav-link, .w-dropdown-btn, .w-dropdown-toggle, .w-dropdown-link { color: inherit; text-decoration: inherit; font-size: inherit; } */ /* Apply "..." after 3 lines of text */ .text-style-3lines { display: -webkit-box; overflow: hidden; -webkit-line-clamp: 3; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; } /* Apply "..." after 2 lines of text */ .text-style-2lines { display: -webkit-box; overflow: hidden; -webkit-line-clamp: 2; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; } /* Adds inline flex display */ .display-inlineflex { display: inline-flex; } /* These classes are never overwritten */ .hide { display: none !important; } @media screen and (max-width: 991px) { .hide, .hide-tablet { display: none !important; } } @media screen and (max-width: 767px) { .hide-mobile-landscape{ display: none !important; } } @media screen and (max-width: 479px) { .hide-mobile{ display: none !important; } } .margin-0 { margin: 0rem !important; } .padding-0 { padding: 0rem !important; } .spacing-clean { padding: 0rem !important; margin: 0rem !important; } .margin-top { margin-right: 0rem !important; margin-bottom: 0rem !important; margin-left: 0rem !important; } .padding-top { padding-right: 0rem !important; padding-bottom: 0rem !important; padding-left: 0rem !important; } .margin-right { margin-top: 0rem !important; margin-bottom: 0rem !important; margin-left: 0rem !important; } .padding-right { padding-top: 0rem !important; padding-bottom: 0rem !important; padding-left: 0rem !important; } .margin-bottom { margin-top: 0rem !important; margin-right: 0rem !important; margin-left: 0rem !important; } .padding-bottom { padding-top: 0rem !important; padding-right: 0rem !important; padding-left: 0rem !important; } .margin-left { margin-top: 0rem !important; margin-right: 0rem !important; margin-bottom: 0rem !important; } .padding-left { padding-top: 0rem !important; padding-right: 0rem !important; padding-bottom: 0rem !important; } .margin-horizontal { margin-top: 0rem !important; margin-bottom: 0rem !important; } .padding-horizontal { padding-top: 0rem !important; padding-bottom: 0rem !important; } .margin-vertical { margin-right: 0rem !important; margin-left: 0rem !important; } .padding-vertical { padding-right: 0rem !important; padding-left: 0rem !important; } /*Desktop*/ @media (min-width: 992px) { html { font-size:16px; } } /*Tablet*/ @media (max-width: 991px) { html { font-size:15px; } } /*Mobile Landscape*/ @media (max-width: 767px) { html { font-size:15px; } } /*Mobile Portrait*/ @media (max-width: 479px) { html { font-size:15px; } } /* EXTRAS */ .background-colour-navy h2, .background-colour-navy h3, .background-colour-navy h4, .background-colour-navy h5, .background-colour-navy h6 { color: #fff; } .background-colour-navy .text-rich-text, .background-colour-navy p { color: var(--medium-grey); } .w-slider-dot { background: #DDD1CA !important;} .w-slider-dot.w-active { background: #189E87 !important; } .callout-link { text-decoration: none !important;} .legal-consent-container .hs-form-booleancheckbox-display p {margin: 0;font-size: 0.9rem;font-weight: 400!important;} .legal-consent-container .hs-form-booleancheckbox-display>span {margin-left: 8px !important;} /* RICH TEXT BULLETS */ .text-rich-text ul li { margin-bottom: 0.5rem; padding-left: 1.2rem; background-image: url(https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63ece81ba4a783f18434aad2/63fcef79f1927a0e4cd84a24_green-bullet.svg); background-position: 0 10px; background-size: 0.6rem; background-repeat: no-repeat; list-style: none; } /* HUBSPOT FORM */ .hs-input { width: 100% !important; } .hs-form { list-style-type: none; width: 100%; } label { color: var(--slate-blue); font-size: 1.125rem; } .form-columns-1 { width: 100% !important; max-width: 100% !important; } .form-columns-2 { width: 100% !important; max-width: 100% !important; } .hs-form.hs-form fieldset[class] .hs-input[type=checkbox] { transform: scale(1.4) !important; transform-origin: top right !important; margin: 3px 6px; width: auto !important; margin-top: -18px !important; } .hs-form.hs-form fieldset[class] .hs-input[type="file"] { padding: 1rem; } /* SmartSurvey Shear Block Styles */ .bg-shear { position: relative; overflow: hidden; background-size: cover; background-position: center; } .bg-shear::before { content: ""; height: 100%; width: 100%; display: block; position: absolute; left: 45%; top: 0; transform: skewX(-11deg); transform-origin: top left; z-index:1 } .bg-shear.is-green::before { background-color: #158472; } /* SmartSurvey Dot Block Styles */ .background-colour-navy-dotted::after { content: ""; display: block; width: 420px; height: 300vh; background-image: radial-gradient(#1170A8 8%, transparent 8%); background-position: 8px 8px; background-size: 38px 38px; transform: translatex(-15vw) translatey(-100vh) rotate3d(0, 0, 1, 33deg); transform-origin: center; position: absolute; top: 0; right: 0; } /* SmartSurvey Custom Styles */ .break-word {word-wrap: break-word} .break-all {word-break: break-all} /* Break long URLs in link text */ .break-word a { word-break: break-word; } /* Fix for variable fonts */ h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6, .heading-style-h1, .heading-style-h2, .heading-style-h3 { font-weight: 400; font-variation-settings: "wght" 400; } .heading-style-h4, .heading-style-h5, .heading-style-h6 { font-weight: 400; font-variation-settings: "wght" 500; } .button { font-weight: 400; font-variation-settings: "wght" 500; } em { font-style: normal; font-variation-settings: "slnt" -10; } .li-style-tick.li-style-tick ul { padding: 0; } .li-style-tick.li-style-tick ul li { background-image: url('https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63ece81ba4a783f18434aad2/67a38acee223474c15bfee8a_cdcfd64d719fa98344e99e33f579e1a9_check-grey.svg'); background-size: 1em; background-position: 0.4em 0em; padding: 0 0 0 2em; } </style></div><div class="core-script-embed w-embed w-iframe w-script"> <noscript><iframe src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-KC3JWW" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript>   <script src="https://consent.cookiefirst.com/banner.js" data-cookiefirst-key="ddf24852-72b3-4aca-bf41-a6bb635f787d"></script>   <noscript><img src="https://secure.intelligent-business-7.com/795612.png" style="display:none;"></noscript> </div><div class="page-wrapper"><div class="main-wrapper"><div data-w-id="dd2c59ea-5f08-2a86-d269-3d9a293b7a60" class="nav-control"><div data-animation="over-right" class="nav w-nav" data-easing2="ease-in-out" data-easing="ease-in-out" data-collapse="medium" data-w-id="a7e58694-b3b0-630d-39bc-f3315431d7a2" role="banner" data-duration="300" data-doc-height="1"><div class="top-bar_nav"><div class="container-medium aligned-right"><a href="/contact" class="top-bar_link">Contact</a><div class="text-separator"></div><a href="/site-search" class="top-bar_link">Search</a><div class="text-separator"></div><a href="/company/careers" class="top-bar_link">We're hiring</a><div class="text-separator"></div><a href="https://app.smartsurvey.co.uk/login" class="top-bar_link">Login</a></div></div><div class="nav-content-block"><div class="container-medium is-nav-flex is-static"><a href="/" class="logo w-nav-brand"><img loading="lazy" width="208" height="38" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63ece81ba4a783f18434aad2/66b62d0e3a32f0193c7fb61e_logo-smartsurvey-primary-rgb.svg" alt="SmartSurvey logo."></a><nav role="navigation" class="nav-menu is-static w-nav-menu"><div data-hover="false" data-delay="100" data-w-id="a7e58694-b3b0-630d-39bc-f3315431d7b7" class="nav-dropdown is-static w-dropdown"><div class="nav-dropdown-toggle w-dropdown-toggle"><div class="nav-dropdown-arrow w-embed"><svg width="14" height="9" viewbox="0 0 14 9" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"> <path d="M6.59375 8.28125L7.42286 7.51543L13.0938 2.2496L11.4355 0.471134L6.59375 4.96479L1.75198 0.471134L0.0937497 2.2496L5.76464 7.51543L6.59375 8.28125Z" fill="currentColor"></path> </svg></div><div>Product</div></div><nav class="dropdown-list _2-col w-dropdown-list"><div class="dd-list-content is-dd-block"><div class="container-medium is-dd-flex"><div class="dd-col"><div id="w-node-a7e58694-b3b0-630d-39bc-f3315431d7c0-293b7a60" class="dd-link-container"><div class="title-wrapper"><div class="text-style-allcaps text-size-xsmall text-weight-semibold text-colour-dark-blue">Product</div></div><a href="/survey-software" class="dropdown-link is-orange w-inline-block"><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63ece81ba4a783f18434aad2/6495c51854f5fb7b5707b478_Frame%2045.svg" loading="lazy" alt="" class="dd-img"><div><div class="text-weight-semibold">Survey Software</div><div class="spacer-xxtiny"></div><div class="text-size-regular text-colour-blue text-weight-normal">Create, share, and analyse surveys for effortless insights gathering.</div></div></a><a href="/enterprise" class="dropdown-link is-light-blue w-inline-block"><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63ece81ba4a783f18434aad2/6495c59f8560288d4658c4c9_Frame%2045%20(1).svg" loading="lazy" alt="" class="dd-img"><div><div class="text-weight-semibold">Enterprise Survey Software</div><div class="spacer-xxtiny"></div><div class="text-size-regular text-colour-blue text-weight-normal">Complete solution for data collection, insights, and actionable results.</div></div></a><a href="/features/survey-dashboards" class="dropdown-link is-light-green w-inline-block"><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63ece81ba4a783f18434aad2/6644c6a440ef2db5f512d409_nav-dd-dashboards.svg" loading="lazy" alt="" class="dd-img"><div><div class="text-weight-semibold">Dashboards</div><div class="spacer-xxtiny"></div><div class="text-size-regular text-colour-blue text-weight-normal">Visualise your data, monitor KPIs and empower teams to make data-driven decisions.</div></div></a></div></div><div class="vertical-divider"></div><div class="dd-col"><div id="w-node-a7e58694-b3b0-630d-39bc-f3315431d7d6-293b7a60" class="dd-link-container"><div class="title-wrapper"><div class="text-style-allcaps text-size-xsmall text-weight-semibold text-colour-dark-blue">Addons</div></div><div class="_2-col-grid"><a href="/integrations" class="dropdown-link is-grey w-inline-block"><div><div class="text-weight-semibold">Native Integrations</div><div class="spacer-xxtiny"></div><div class="text-size-regular text-colour-blue text-weight-normal">Integrate with your favourite platforms in just a few clicks.</div></div></a><a href="/services/consumer-panels" class="dropdown-link is-grey w-inline-block"><div><div class="text-weight-semibold">Consumer Panels</div><div class="spacer-xxtiny"></div><div class="text-size-regular text-colour-blue text-weight-normal">Instantly reach millions with our Live Consumer Audience Service.</div></div></a><a href="/integrations/directory" class="dropdown-link is-grey w-inline-block"><div><div class="text-weight-semibold">Integration Directory</div><div class="spacer-xxtiny"></div><div class="text-size-regular text-colour-blue text-weight-normal">Search our list of over 297 platform integrations.</div></div></a><a href="/features/white-label-surveys" class="dropdown-link is-grey w-inline-block"><div><div class="text-weight-semibold">White Label</div><div class="spacer-xxtiny"></div><div class="text-size-regular text-colour-blue text-weight-normal">Customise and white label your survey communications.</div></div></a><a href="/features/api-webhooks" class="dropdown-link is-grey w-inline-block"><div><div class="text-weight-semibold">API & Webhooks</div><div class="spacer-xxtiny"></div><div class="text-size-regular text-colour-blue text-weight-normal">Access our API and webhooks directly or use tools like Zapier and Integrately.</div></div></a><a href="/features" class="dropdown-link is-grey w-inline-block"><div><div class="text-weight-semibold">All Features</div><div class="spacer-xxtiny"></div><div class="text-size-regular text-colour-blue text-weight-normal">Our survey software is very user friendly yet packed full of advanced</div></div></a></div></div></div></div></div></nav></div><div data-hover="false" data-delay="100" data-w-id="a7e58694-b3b0-630d-39bc-f3315431d7f7" class="nav-dropdown is-static w-dropdown"><div class="nav-dropdown-toggle w-dropdown-toggle"><div class="nav-dropdown-arrow w-embed"><svg width="14" height="9" viewbox="0 0 14 9" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"> <path d="M6.59375 8.28125L7.42286 7.51543L13.0938 2.2496L11.4355 0.471134L6.59375 4.96479L1.75198 0.471134L0.0937497 2.2496L5.76464 7.51543L6.59375 8.28125Z" fill="currentColor"></path> </svg></div><div>Solutions</div></div><nav class="dropdown-list _2-col w-dropdown-list"><div class="dd-list-content is-dd-block"><div class="container-medium is-dd-flex"><div class="dd-col is-small"><div class="text-size-large text-weight-semibold">Solutions</div><div class="spacer-tiny"></div><p class="text-colour-blue">Discover the versatility of our survey software, designed to meet different functional needs across industries and company sizes.</p></div><div class="vertical-divider"></div><div class="dd-col"><div id="w-node-a7e58694-b3b0-630d-39bc-f3315431d807-293b7a60" class="dd-link-container"><div class="title-wrapper"><div class="text-style-allcaps text-size-xsmall text-weight-semibold text-colour-dark-blue">By Function</div></div><a href="/solutions/customer-experience" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Customer Experience</div></a><a href="/solutions/employee-experience" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Employee Experience</div></a><a href="/solutions/patient-experience" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Patient Experience</div></a><a href="/solutions/market-research" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Market Research</div></a><a href="/solutions/citizen-engagement" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Citizen Engagement</div></a></div></div><div class="vertical-divider"></div><div class="dd-col"><div id="w-node-a7e58694-b3b0-630d-39bc-f3315431d825-293b7a60" class="dd-link-container"><div class="title-wrapper"><div class="text-style-allcaps text-size-xsmall text-weight-semibold text-colour-dark-blue">By Industry</div></div><a href="/public-sector-and-government-surveys" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Government</div></a><a href="/financial-services-surveys" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Financial Services</div></a><a href="/healthcare-surveys" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Healthcare</div></a><a href="/education-surveys" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Education</div></a><a href="/non-profit-surveys" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Not for profit</div></a><a href="/hospitality-surveys" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Hospitality & Travel</div></a><a href="/hospitality-surveys/event" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Events</div></a></div></div><div class="vertical-divider"></div><div class="dd-col"><div id="w-node-a7e58694-b3b0-630d-39bc-f3315431d84f-293b7a60" class="dd-link-container"><div class="title-wrapper"><div class="text-style-allcaps text-size-xsmall text-weight-semibold text-colour-dark-blue">By Plan</div></div><a href="/free-online-surveys" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Basic (Free)</div></a><a href="/survey-software/professional-plan" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Professional</div></a><a href="/survey-software/business-plan" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Business</div></a><a href="/enterprise" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Enterprise</div></a><a data-uk-only="true" href="/survey-software/student-plan" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Student</div></a><a data-uk-only="true" href="/survey-software/university-plan" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">University</div></a><div class="div-line"></div><a href="/non-profit-surveys/plan" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Non-profit discount</div></a></div></div></div></div></nav></div><div data-hover="false" data-delay="100" data-w-id="a7e58694-b3b0-630d-39bc-f3315431d87b" class="nav-dropdown is-static w-dropdown"><div class="nav-dropdown-toggle w-dropdown-toggle"><div>Features</div><div class="nav-dropdown-arrow w-embed"><svg width="14" height="9" viewbox="0 0 14 9" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"> <path d="M6.59375 8.28125L7.42286 7.51543L13.0938 2.2496L11.4355 0.471134L6.59375 4.96479L1.75198 0.471134L0.0937497 2.2496L5.76464 7.51543L6.59375 8.28125Z" fill="currentColor"></path> </svg></div></div><nav class="dropdown-list _2-col w-dropdown-list"><div class="dd-list-content is-dd-block"><div class="container-medium is-dd-flex"><div class="dd-col grow"><div id="w-node-_64467a9d-6647-cef7-dc3e-f29be8cdf6e3-293b7a60" class="dd-link-container"><a href="/features/create-engaging-surveys" class="dropdown-link-2 w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Create Engaging Surveys</div></a><a href="/features/ask-questions-your-way" class="dropdown-link-2 w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Ask Questions your Way</div></a><a href="/features/white-label-surveys" class="dropdown-link-2 w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">White Label Surveys</div></a><a href="/features/smart-surveys" class="dropdown-link-2 w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Smart Surveys</div></a><a href="/features/accessibility" class="dropdown-link-2 w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Accessibility</div></a><a href="/features/mobile-first-surveys" class="dropdown-link-2 w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Mobile-first Surveys</div></a><a href="/features/advanced-customisation" class="dropdown-link-2 w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Advanced Customisation</div></a><a href="/features/survey-dashboards" class="dropdown-link-2 w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Dashboards</div></a></div></div><div class="vertical-divider"></div><div class="dd-col grow"><div id="w-node-_64467a9d-6647-cef7-dc3e-f29be8cdf716-293b7a60" class="dd-link-container"><a href="/features/survey-data-management" class="dropdown-link-2 w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Data Management</div></a><a href="/features/survey-sharing" class="dropdown-link-2 w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Survey Sharing</div></a><a href="/features/survey-safety-and-security" class="dropdown-link-2 w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Safety and Security</div></a><a href="/features/real-time-analysis" class="dropdown-link-2 w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Real-time Analysis</div></a><a href="/features/survey-metrics" class="dropdown-link-2 w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Measure Key Metrics</div></a><a href="/features/response-management" class="dropdown-link-2 w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Response Management</div></a><a href="/features/flexible-distribution" class="dropdown-link-2 w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Flexible Distribution</div></a><a href="/integrations/directory" class="dropdown-link-2 w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Native integrations</div></a></div></div><div class="vertical-divider"></div><div class="dd-col grow"><div id="w-node-_64467a9d-6647-cef7-dc3e-f29be8cdf749-293b7a60" class="dd-link-container"><a href="/features/embed-surveys" class="dropdown-link-2 w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Embed Surveys</div></a><a href="/features/api-webhooks" class="dropdown-link-2 w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">API and Webhooks</div></a><a href="/integrations" class="dropdown-link-2 w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Integrations</div></a><a href="/features/external-alerts-and-updates" class="dropdown-link-2 w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">External Alerts and Updates</div></a><a href="/features/collaboration-and-security" class="dropdown-link-2 w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Collaboration</div></a><a href="/features/personal-productivity" class="dropdown-link-2 w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Personal Productivity</div></a><a href="/features/helping-you-succeed" class="dropdown-link-2 w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Helping You Succeed</div></a><a href="/services/consumer-panels" class="dropdown-link-2 w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Buy Responses</div></a><a href="/features#feature-table" class="dropdown-link-2 w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">See All Features</div></a></div></div></div></div></nav></div><a href="/pricing" class="nav-link is-main-nav w-nav-link">Plans & Pricing</a><div data-hover="false" data-delay="100" data-w-id="a7e58694-b3b0-630d-39bc-f3315431d8e2" class="nav-dropdown is-static w-dropdown"><div class="nav-dropdown-toggle w-dropdown-toggle"><div>Resources</div><div class="nav-dropdown-arrow w-embed"><svg width="14" height="9" viewbox="0 0 14 9" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"> <path d="M6.59375 8.28125L7.42286 7.51543L13.0938 2.2496L11.4355 0.471134L6.59375 4.96479L1.75198 0.471134L0.0937497 2.2496L5.76464 7.51543L6.59375 8.28125Z" fill="currentColor"></path> </svg></div></div><nav class="dropdown-list _2-col w-dropdown-list"><div class="dd-list-content is-dd-block"><div class="container-medium is-dd-flex"><div class="dd-col is-4-row"><div id="w-node-be1370c0-dba8-225d-9602-cb9e6a603170-293b7a60" class="dd-link-container"><div class="title-wrapper"><div class="text-style-allcaps text-size-xsmall text-weight-semibold text-colour-dark-blue">Support & Status</div></div><a href="https://help.smartsurvey.co.uk" target="_blank" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Help Guides</div></a><a href="/updates" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Product Updates</div></a><a href="/security" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Security</div></a><a href="/gdpr" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">GDPR</div></a><a href="https://smartsurvey.status.io" target="_blank" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">System Status</div></a><a href="https://docs.smartsurvey.io" target="_blank" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">API Docs</div></a></div></div><div class="vertical-divider"></div><div class="dd-col is-4-row"><div id="w-node-be1370c0-dba8-225d-9602-cb9e6a60319a-293b7a60" class="dd-link-container"><div class="title-wrapper"><div class="text-style-allcaps text-size-xsmall text-weight-semibold text-colour-dark-blue">Tools</div></div><a href="/free-online-surveys" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"><strong></strong></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Free Survey Maker</div></a><a href="/resources/calculators" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Calculators</div></a><a href="/resources/roi-calculators" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">ROI Calculators</div></a><a href="/survey-questions" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Survey Questions</div></a><a href="/survey-types" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Types of Survey</div></a><a href="/survey-design" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Survey Design</div></a><a href="/company/about-accessible-surveys" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Accessibility Guide</div></a></div></div><div class="vertical-divider"></div><div class="dd-col is-4-row"><div id="w-node-be1370c0-dba8-225d-9602-cb9e6a6031c5-293b7a60" class="dd-link-container"><div class="title-wrapper"><div class="text-style-allcaps text-size-xsmall text-weight-semibold text-colour-dark-blue">Company</div></div><a href="/company/about-us" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">About Us</div></a><a href="/company/careers" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Careers</div></a><a href="/blog" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Blog</div></a><a href="/case-studies" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Case Studies</div></a></div></div><div class="vertical-divider"></div><div class="dd-col is-4-row"><div class="dd-link-container"><div class="title-wrapper"><div class="text-style-allcaps text-size-xsmall text-weight-semibold text-colour-dark-blue">Survey Templates</div></div><a href="/templates/surveys/customer" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Customer</div></a><a href="/templates/surveys/education" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Education</div></a><a href="/templates/surveys/employee" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Employee</div></a><a href="/templates/surveys/events" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Events</div></a><a href="/templates/surveys/hospitality" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">Hospitality</div></a><a href="/templates/surveys" class="dropdown-link w-inline-block"><div class="fa-icon-container_tiny"><div class="fa-text text-colour-green"></div></div><div class="nav_text-size-small">All Categories</div></a></div></div></div></div></nav></div><div class="nav-button-wrapper hide-tablet"><div><a href="https://info.smartsurvey.co.uk/book-a-demo" class="button is-small wide-button w-button">Request demo</a></div></div><div class="top-bar-content"><a href="/company/careers" class="wide-link">We're hiring</a><a href="/contact" class="wide-link">Contact us</a><a href="https://app.smartsurvey.co.uk/c/signup?ut_source=adminbar" class="wide-link">Sign up</a><a href="https://app.smartsurvey.co.uk/" class="wide-link">Login</a></div></nav><div class="menu-button w-nav-button"><div class="menu-line _1"></div><div class="menu-line _2"></div><div class="menu-line _3"></div></div></div></div><div class="nav-bg-container"><div class="nav-bg"></div></div><div class="bg-overlay"></div></div><div class="nav-page-overlay"></div><div class="nav-page-overlay-2"></div><div class="nav-page-overlay-3"></div><div class="nav-page-overlay-4"></div></div><div class="section-blog-hero padding-huge"><div class="container-small"><div class="breadcrumbs"><a href="/blog" class="link">All Blogs</a><div class="breadcrumb-separator">/</div><div class="breadcrumb-title">UK Public Consultation: Best Practice</div></div><div class="spacer-large"></div><h1>UK Public Consultation: Best Practice</h1><div class="spacer-xxmedium"></div><div class="blog_header-details text-colour-blue"><div class="col_01 is-flex"><div>by</div><div class="text-colour-blue text-weight-semibold">Mo Naser</div><div>on</div><div class="text-weight-semibold">November 21, 2024</div></div><div class="col_02"></div></div><div class="spacer-large"></div><div class="blog_image-header"><img loading="lazy" alt=" A collage of multiracial, multiethnic faces to illustrate the concept of best practice in running public consultations " src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/64022de562115a8189fe542a/6718b2f6952358ee5d1013d2_public-consultation-best-practice.png" sizes="(max-width: 479px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 92vw, (max-width: 991px) 90vw, (max-width: 1919px) 81vw, 864px" srcset="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/64022de562115a8189fe542a/6718b2f6952358ee5d1013d2_public-consultation-best-practice-p-500.png 500w, https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/64022de562115a8189fe542a/6718b2f6952358ee5d1013d2_public-consultation-best-practice.png 864w" class="image-cover"></div></div></div><div class="section-blog-article background-color-white padding-huge"><div class="container-small"><div class="spacer-xxhuge"></div><div class="text-rich-text w-richtext"><p>Public consultation in the UK is what makes our society thrive. It's what makes it a true democracy where every voice is heard and every opinion matters.</p><p>If you're unfamiliar with public consultation, it's a process where organisations, including the government, ask for input from the public on decisions that might affect them. It's a way to gather people's thoughts, ideas, and concerns before making significant choices.</p><p>Understanding public consultation is crucial. It helps the government and organisations make better choices that work for more individuals, brings us together, and builds trust.</p><p>For best results, we need best practices to make sure these consultations are fair, effective, and open to everyone. And that's exactly what this guide is about. We'll walk you through everything you need to know to run a top-notch public consultation.</p><h2>Legal and policy framework for public consultations in the UK</h2><p>Let's start with the basics so we're all on the same page.</p><p>In the UK, we have some official guidelines for public consultations. The Cabinet Office has a set of Consultation Principles that help organisations run good consultations. Here are a few key points:</p><ul role="list"><li>Consultations should be straightforward to understand</li><li>They should have a clear purpose</li><li>They should give helpful information</li><li>They should last for the right amount of time</li><li>They should target the right individuals</li></ul><p>There's also a legal side to consultations. You might have heard of the "Gunning Principles". These came from a court case and set out some rules for fair consultations. They say that consultations must -</p><ul role="list"><li>Happen when plans are still being formed</li><li>Must give enough information for people to respond properly</li><li>Must allow enough time for responses</li><li>Organisations must consider the responses correctly.</li></ul><p>If organisations don't follow these rules, they could get in trouble. People can ask for a judicial review, i.e., ask a judge to check if the consultation was done fairly.</p><p>All of this might sound a bit formal, but it's about being open and honest. When organisations run consultations, they need to be clear about what they're doing and why.</p><h2>Setting clear objectives and scope</h2><p>Now, let's share some of our own guidelines. Many overlap with the official guidance, but we think they're worth repeating. The first thing to do before you even start a consultation is to define its purpose. What are you trying to achieve?</p><p>Without a clear purpose, it's easy to get side-tracked. You might end up with comments or suggestions that don't help you make the decision you need to make.</p><p>Once you know your purpose, you need to set out the scope of your consultation. That means being clear about what you're asking and what you're not. It's not enough for you to know this yourself. You need to explain it in a way that everyone can understand.</p><p>When you're writing your questions, avoid any that might be confusing or push people towards a certain answer. For example, instead of asking, "Don't you agree that this is a great idea?" try, "What do you think about this idea?" Give them the chance to share their honest thoughts.</p><h2>Engaging the right stakeholders</h2><p>Many consultations fail because they ask the wrong individuals or fail to ask those who will be most affected by the changes.</p><p>Before you start your consultation, take some time to think about who needs to be involved. This includes those who will be directly affected by any changes and those who might have a strong interest or valuable insights to share.</p><p>To ensure everyone can participate, you might need to provide your consultation materials in different formats. This could include large print or braille for people with visual impairments or translations for people who speak different languages.</p><h2>Choosing the proper consultation methods</h2><p>Now that we've completed all the pre-consultation planning let's discuss how to run your consultation.</p><p>One important thing to remember is that there's no one-size-fits-all approach. Different methods will work better for various groups of the population. That's why using a mix of methods is often a good idea. Let's look at three common ones:</p><h3>Online surveys</h3><p>At SmartSurvey, we believe <a href="/">online surveys</a> are one of the best ways to reach an audience, both for the respondent and the organisation running the consultation.</p><p>Online surveys are digital questionnaires where you can ask a mix of questions – some questions where respondents choose from set answers, and others where they can write their own thoughts. They're great because anyone can fill them out at a time that suits them, and you can reach plenty of respondents quite easily.</p><p>Our <a href="/solutions/citizen-engagement">citizen engagement platform</a> makes it simple to create these surveys, share them on the web, and then analyse all the answers you get back.</p><h3>Pros and cons</h3><p>Online surveys are brilliant for reaching the masses quickly and easily. They're also great for getting answers you can easily compare. But they might not work for everyone – some might not have internet access or might prefer to share their thoughts in person.</p><h2>Public meetings</h2><p>Public meetings are one of the oldest methods in the book, used by governments, organisations, and community groups for ages.</p><p>A public meeting is just what it sounds like – a meeting that's open to the public. Usually, the organisation running the consultation will share some information and then open the floor for questions and discussion.</p><p>To run a good public meeting, try to choose a time and place that's easy for everyone to get to. Make sure you give attendees clear information before the meeting so they can come prepared. And always leave plenty of time for questions and thought-sharing at the end.</p><h3>Pros and cons</h3><p>Public meetings are great for having real-time discussions and can help build a sense of community. But they can be tricky to organise, and some people might not feel comfortable speaking up in a big group.</p><h2>Focus groups</h2><p>Focus groups are a bit like a mix between online surveys and public meetings. They involve in-person discussion, but with a smaller group who are chosen based on specific criteria. It's a chance to get more in-depth insights and explore ideas in more detail.</p><p>To run a good focus group, try to get a mix of different viewpoints. Make sure everyone knows what you're there to discuss and create a comfortable environment where all feel able to share their honest thoughts.</p><h3>Pros and cons</h3><p>Focus groups are ideal for getting detailed insights and exploring complex issues. But they can be time-consuming to organise. Also, you can only include a limited number of people.</p><div class="w-embed"><div class="cream-callout"> <h2>Designing effective survey questions</h2> <p>If you've decided to use a survey for your consultation, there are some essential things to keep in mind when writing your questions. Here are five pro tips:</p> <ol> <li>Keep your questions short and simple</li> <li>Ask about one thing at a time</li> <li>Use language that everyone can understand</li> <li>Avoid leading questions that might push someone towards a particular answer</li> <li>Give respondents a chance to explain their answers if they want to</li> </ol> <p>It's also good to think about using a mix of different types of questions. Closed questions are great for getting information you can easily compare. Open questions (where people write their own answers) are effective for getting more detailed insights.</p> </div></div><h2>Timing and duration of consultations</h2><p>Timing is everything when it comes to consultations. It's one of the first things you should think about when you're planning.</p><p>You need to give people enough time to think about your questions and share their thoughts. But you also don't want your consultation to drag on for too long. If it does, they might lose interest or forget to respond.</p><p>The government suggests that consultations should usually last for about 12 weeks. This gives them plenty of time to respond while keeping the process moving along. It's also best to avoid holidays or significant events.</p><h2>Promoting the consultation effectively</h2><p>As with other types of data collection, sample size is a crucial consideration in consultations. The more people you hear from, the better idea you'll have of what everyone thinks. To get more respondents involved, you need to let them know about your project. That can be done through emails, posts on social media, or work with community groups to spread the word.</p><p>Remember that different individuals might need to hear about your consultation in different ways. For example, younger crowds might be more likely to see something on social media, while older folks might prefer to hear about it through local community groups.</p><h2>Ensuring data privacy and compliance</h2><p>You're asking respondents to share their thoughts and sometimes personal information. As such, it is mandatory to protect this information.</p><p>In the UK, we have laws about how organisations should handle data. The big one is called GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). It sets out rules for collecting, storing, and using sensitive information.</p><p>When you're conducting your consultation, follow these rules: Keep data safe and only use it for the purposes you promised. Be clear about how you'll use the responses. Let respondents know if their answers will be published (even anonymously) and how long you'll keep their information.</p><h2>Analysing and interpreting consultation responses</h2><p>Once your consultation is finished, it's time to look at all the responses you've received. This can be a big task, especially if you've had many answers.</p><p>There are different ways to analyse your responses, depending on the type of questions you asked. For questions where people chose from set answers, you can look at the numbers – like what percentage chose each option. For questions they wrote their own answers, you'll need to read through them and look for common themes.</p><p>The most important thing is to be fair and objective. Try not to focus only on the responses that agree with your current thoughts. Look at all the responses equally and try to understand the full range of views shared.</p><h2>Wrapping up</h2><p>Running a good public consultation isn't always easy, but it's too important to ignore. By following these best practices, you can ensure that your consultations are fair, effective, and open to everyone.</p><div class="w-embed"><div class="cream-callout"> <h3 class="callout-cream-title">Engage the public the Smart way</h3> <div class="spacer-xsmall"></div> <p class="text-size-medium text-colour-blue callout-content">We have everything you need to to maximise citizen engagement in public consultations.</p> <a href="/solutions/citizen-engagement" class="callout-link">Find out more <strong>→</strong></a> </div></div></div></div><div class="spacer-xxxhuge"></div><div class="container-small w-condition-invisible"><div class="div-line"></div><div class="spacer-xlarge"></div><div class="blog-byline"><div><div class="blog-byline-image"><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/plugins/Basic/assets/placeholder.60f9b1840c.svg" loading="lazy" width="Auto" alt="" class="w-dyn-bind-empty"></div><div class="spacer-tiny"></div><div class="flex-align-center-center"><a href="#" class="w-inline-block"><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63ece81ba4a783f18434aad2/67a34d2764f6a9d646d75142_linkedin-brands-solid.svg" loading="lazy" width="24" alt="Linkedin icon."></a></div></div><div class="horizontal-spacer-large"></div><div><div class="text-size-xmedium"><div class="display-inline">By </div><a href="#" class="no-underline green-link w-inline-block"><div class="display-inline text-weight-semibold w-dyn-bind-empty"></div></a></div><div><div class="display-inline w-dyn-bind-empty"></div><div class="display-inline"> at </div><div class="display-inline w-dyn-bind-empty"></div></div><div class="spacer-medium"></div><p class="w-dyn-bind-empty"></p></div></div><div class="spacer-xlarge"></div></div><div class="container-small"><div class="div-line"></div><div class="spacer-xlarge"></div><div><strong>Categories:</strong></div><div class="spacer-tiny"></div><div><div class="collection-list-wrapper w-dyn-list"><div role="list" class="category-tag-list w-dyn-items"><div role="listitem" class="w-dyn-item"><a href="/blog/category/citizen-engagement" class="category-tag">Citizen Engagement</a></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="section-footer background-colour-grey padding-huge"><div class="container-medium"><div class="top_footer-block"><div class="footer_col-1"><a href="/" class="footer-logo w-inline-block"><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63ece81ba4a783f18434aad2/66b62d0e3a32f0193c7fb61e_logo-smartsurvey-primary-rgb.svg" loading="lazy" width="180" height="33" alt="SmartSurvey logo."></a><div><div class="text-size-small text-colour-blue">SmartSurvey is a digital survey solution that helps anyone create surveys, build questionnaires and analyse the results.</div></div><div class="social-link-holder"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/SmartSurveyUK/" target="_blank" class="social-icon w-inline-block"><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63ece81ba4a783f18434aad2/63ee70c966bf965a0905a5d8_Facebook.svg" loading="lazy" alt="Facebook icon."></a><a href="https://x.com/SmartSurvey" target="_blank" class="social-icon w-inline-block"><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63ece81ba4a783f18434aad2/677d4b8516ccc05e97804d29_icon-x.svg" loading="lazy" alt="X logo."></a><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/smartsurvey/" target="_blank" class="social-icon w-inline-block"><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63ece81ba4a783f18434aad2/63ee70c966bf969aea05a5d9_Linkdin.svg" loading="lazy" alt="Linkedin icon."></a></div></div><div class="footer-col_right"><div id="w-node-_5815ee7d-96d3-9944-8cc9-54e94a0151ec-b019ffc1" class="footer-links-multi"><div class="footer_col"><div class="footer-title"><h5 class="text-weight-semibold text-colour-black">NAVIGATION</h5></div><div class="footer-links-block_body"><a href="/" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Home</a><a href="/pricing" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Plans & Pricing</a><a href="/company/careers" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Careers</a><a href="/security" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Security</a><a href="https://smartsurvey.status.io/" target="_blank" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">System Status</a><a data-uk-only="true" href="https://www.smartsurvey.com/" target="_blank" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">SmartSurvey US</a></div></div><div class="footer_col"><div class="footer-title"><a href="/blog" class="w-inline-block"><h5 class="text-weight-semibold text-colour-black">Recent blog posts</h5></a></div><div id="w-node-f21b8b2f-9882-10ee-7ce6-8ef26ed28b34-b019ffc1" class="footer-links-block_body w-dyn-list"><div role="list" class="w-dyn-items"><div role="listitem" class="w-dyn-item"><a href="/blog/customer-service-metrics" class="text-size-small is-footer-link is-footer-blog-link">Customer Service Metrics And How To Measure Them</a></div><div role="listitem" class="w-dyn-item"><a href="/blog/what-is-brand-equity" class="text-size-small is-footer-link is-footer-blog-link">What Is Brand Equity?</a></div><div role="listitem" class="w-dyn-item"><a href="/blog/event-metrics-what-to-measure-and-when" class="text-size-small is-footer-link is-footer-blog-link">Event Metrics: What To Measure and When</a></div><div role="listitem" class="w-dyn-item"><a href="/blog/public-consultation-best-practice" aria-current="page" class="text-size-small is-footer-link is-footer-blog-link w--current">UK Public Consultation: Best Practice</a></div><div role="listitem" class="w-dyn-item"><a href="/blog/brand-metrics" class="text-size-small is-footer-link is-footer-blog-link">Brand Metrics: What To Measure And Why</a></div></div></div></div><div class="footer_col"><div class="footer-title"><a href="/blog" class="w-inline-block"><h5 class="text-weight-semibold text-colour-black">Best of blogs</h5></a></div><div id="w-node-_9ad6c851-eaf9-0044-418a-165335f184f3-b019ffc1" class="footer-links-block_body w-dyn-list"><div role="list" class="w-dyn-items"><div role="listitem" class="w-dyn-item"><a href="/blog/best-online-survey-tools" class="text-size-small is-footer-link is-footer-blog-link">Top 10 Best Online Survey Tools in 2024 (Free & Paid)</a></div><div role="listitem" class="w-dyn-item"><a href="/blog/best-surveymonkey-alternatives" class="text-size-small is-footer-link is-footer-blog-link">Top 8 Alternatives to SurveyMonkey: Better, Cheaper and More Flexible</a></div><div role="listitem" class="w-dyn-item"><a href="/blog/top-8-alternatives-to-google-forms-paid-and-free" class="text-size-small is-footer-link is-footer-blog-link">Top 8 Alternatives to Google Forms (Paid and Free)</a></div><div role="listitem" class="w-dyn-item"><a href="/blog/top-8-alternatives-to-microsoft-forms-paid-and-free" class="text-size-small is-footer-link is-footer-blog-link">Top 8 Alternatives to Microsoft Forms (Paid and Free)</a></div><div role="listitem" class="w-dyn-item"><a href="/blog/top-8-alternatives-to-typeform-better-cheaper-and-more-flexible" class="text-size-small is-footer-link is-footer-blog-link">Top 8 Alternatives to Typeform: Better, Cheaper and More Flexible</a></div></div></div></div></div><div id="w-node-b67003e1-ab92-41c8-54a1-bfdcb019ffe5-b019ffc1" class="footer-links-multi"><div class="footer_col"><div class="footer-title"><h5 class="text-weight-semibold text-colour-black">Survey uses</h5></div><div class="footer-links-block_body"><a href="/customer-surveys" class="text-size-small is-footer-link text-weight-semibold">Customer Surveys</a><a href="/customer-surveys/experience" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">CX Surveys</a><a href="/customer-surveys/effort" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Customer Effort Score</a><a href="/customer-surveys/voice-of-customer" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Voice of the Customer</a><a href="/customer-satisfaction-survey" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Customer Satisfaction Survey</a></div></div><div class="footer_col"><div class="footer-links-block_body"><a href="/employee-surveys" class="text-size-small is-footer-link text-weight-semibold">HR Surveys</a><a href="/employee-surveys/recruitment" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Recruitment Surveys</a><a href="/employee-surveys/training" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Training Surveys</a><a href="/employee-surveys/exit-interviews" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Exit Interview Surveys</a></div></div><div class="footer_col"><div class="footer-links-block_body"><a href="/market-research-surveys" class="text-size-small is-footer-link text-weight-semibold">Market Research Surveys</a><a href="/market-research-surveys/brand" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Brand Surveys</a><a href="/market-research-surveys/product" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Product Surveys</a><a id="w-node-_605af93d-d59b-78bf-f199-dce5a25d16b6-b019ffc1" href="/market-research-surveys/promotion" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Promotion Surveys</a><a id="w-node-_605af93d-d59b-78bf-f199-dce5a25d16b2-b019ffc1" href="/market-research-surveys/audience" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Consumer Audience Surveys</a></div></div><div class="footer_col"><div class="footer-links-block_body"><a href="/education-surveys" class="text-size-small is-footer-link text-weight-semibold">Education Surveys</a><a href="/education-surveys/school" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">School Surveys</a><a id="w-node-_0b2440d5-2422-3693-001b-95aab3126f45-b019ffc1" href="/education-surveys/academic-research" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Academic Research</a><a id="w-node-_7656a93e-dc17-bdcc-65ab-5c252df74f45-b019ffc1" href="/education-surveys/dissertation" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Dissertation Surveys</a></div></div><div class="footer_col"><div class="footer-links-block_body"><div id="w-node-_943c8d72-f731-70bb-665d-a658afeaf041-b019ffc1" class="text-size-small is-footer-link text-weight-semibold">Other Sectors</div><a href="/healthcare-surveys" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Healthcare Surveys</a><a id="w-node-_943c8d72-f731-70bb-665d-a658afeaf045-b019ffc1" href="/non-profit-surveys" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Non-profit & Charity</a><a href="/public-sector-and-government-surveys" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Government</a><a href="/hospitality-surveys" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Hospitality & Travel</a><a href="/hospitality-surveys/event" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Event Surveys</a><a href="/employee-surveys" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Employee Surveys</a></div></div></div><div class="footer-links-multi"><div class="footer_col"><div class="footer-title"><h5 class="text-weight-semibold text-colour-black">Solutions</h5></div><div class="footer-links-block_body"><a href="/solutions/customer-experience" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Customer Experience</a><a href="/solutions/employee-engagement" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Employee Engagement</a><a href="/services/consumer-panels" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Consumer Panels</a><a href="/services/managed-service" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Managed Services</a><a href="/employee-surveys/360-feedback" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">360 Surveys</a></div></div><div class="footer_col"><div class="footer-title"><h5 class="text-weight-semibold text-colour-black">Survey Distribution</h5></div><div class="footer-links-block_body"><a href="/survey-types/online-surveys" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Online Surveys</a><a href="/survey-types/offline-surveys" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Offline Surveys</a><a href="/survey-types/mobile-surveys" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Mobile Surveys</a><a href="/survey-types/email-surveys" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Email Surveys</a></div></div><div class="footer_col"><div class="footer-title"><h5 class="text-weight-semibold text-colour-black">Survey Templates</h5></div><div class="footer-links-block_body"><a href="/templates/surveys/customer" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Customer Survey Templates</a><a href="/templates/surveys/employee" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Employee Survey Templates</a><a href="/templates/surveys/hospitality" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Hospitality Survey Templates</a><a href="/templates/surveys/events" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Event Survey Templates</a><a href="/templates/surveys/healthcare" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Healthcare Survey Templates</a><a href="/templates/surveys/education" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Education Survey Templates</a><a href="/templates/surveys/not-for-profit" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Not-for-profit Survey Templates</a><a href="/templates/surveys" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">All Survey Templates</a></div></div><div class="footer_col"><div class="footer-title"><h5 class="text-weight-semibold text-colour-black">RESOURCES</h5></div><div class="footer-links-block_body"><a href="https://help.smartsurvey.co.uk/" target="_blank" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Help Guides</a><a href="/case-studies" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Case Studies</a><a href="/articles" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Articles</a><a href="/sample-questions" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Sample Questions</a><a href="https://docs.smartsurvey.io/docs" target="_blank" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">API Documentation</a></div></div></div><div id="w-node-_726d9ac6-8796-6f80-891c-03a6ccb7627d-b019ffc1" class="footer-links-multi"><div class="footer_col"><div class="footer-title"><h5 class="text-weight-semibold text-colour-black">COMPARISONS</h5></div><div class="footer-links-block_body"><a href="/comparison/surveymonkey-alternative" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">SurveyMonkey Alternative</a><a href="/comparison/qualtrics-alternative" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Qualtrics Alternative</a><a href="/comparison/typeform-alternative" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Typeform Alternative</a><a href="/comparison/alchemer-alternative" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Alchemer Alternative</a><a href="/comparison/snap-surveys-alternative" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Snap Surveys Alternative</a><a href="/comparison/google-forms-alternative" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Google Forms Alternative</a><a href="/comparison/questionpro-alternative" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">QuestionPro Alternative</a><a href="/comparison/microsoft-forms-alternative" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Microsoft Forms Alternative</a><a href="/comparison/gov-forms-alternative" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">GOV.UK Forms Alternative</a></div></div><div class="footer_col"><div class="footer-title"><h5 class="text-weight-semibold text-colour-black">Useful Links</h5></div><div class="footer-links-block_body"><a href="/survey-software" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Survey Software</a><a href="/free-online-surveys" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Free Survey Maker</a><a href="/free-online-polls" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Free Poll Maker</a><a href="/questionnaire-maker/design" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Questionnaire Design</a><a href="/questionnaire-maker/templates" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Questionnaire Templates</a><a href="/solutions/online-forms" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Online Forms</a><a href="/survey-tools/online-questionnaire" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Online Questionnaires</a></div></div><div class="footer_col"><div class="footer-title"><h5 class="text-weight-semibold text-colour-black">ARTICLES</h5></div><div class="footer-links-block_body"><a href="/articles/10-advantages-of-online-surveys" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Advantages of Online Surveys</a><a href="/articles/primary-research-methods" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Primary Research Methods</a><a href="/articles/calculate-sample-size" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Calculating Sample Size</a><a href="/articles/survey-vs-questionnaire" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Survey vs Questionnaire</a><a href="/articles/6-steps-to-conducting-an-online-survey" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Conducting An Online Survey</a><a href="/articles/10-tips-for-designing-an-effective-online-survey" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Tips For Designing Surveys</a><a href="/articles/using-the-employee-attitude-survey" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Employee Attitude Survey</a><a href="/customer-experience-management" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Customer Experience Management</a></div></div></div></div></div><div class="lower_footer-block"><div class="text-size-small text-colour-blue">Copyright © 2025 SmartSurvey™. All Rights Reserved.</div><div class="sublinks-block"><a href="/sitemap" class="text-size-small is-footer-link">Sitemap</a><a href="/company/about-accessible-surveys" class="text-size-small is-footer-link is-subfooter">Accessibility Statement</a><a href="/company/privacy-policy" class="text-size-small is-footer-link is-subfooter">Privacy Policy</a><a href="/company/terms-of-use" class="text-size-small is-footer-link is-subfooter">Terms of Use</a><a href="/contact" class="text-size-small is-footer-link is-subfooter">Contact Us</a></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="w-embed w-script"><script> var showMenu = false; var colonSplit = false; var headingTag = ""; var isNumbered = false; window.addEventListener("load", () => { // Don't run if it is disabled for this blog post if(!showMenu){ return; } // Generate the html for the menu var contentElem = $(".section-blog-article .text-rich-text"); contentElem.prepend('<div class="blog-menu" style="display:none"><div class="blog-menu_wrapper"><p class="blog-menu_toc">TABLE OF CONTENTS</p><div id="blog-menu_floating-menu"><ul class="blog-menu_list"></ul></div></div></div>'); // Set variables var newMenu = $(".blog-menu"); var newMenuList = $(".blog-menu_list"); var i = 1; // Loop all h2's $(headingTag, contentElem).each(function(){ // Get H2 details var theHeadingTag = $(this); var heading = theHeadingTag.text(); // if colonSplit is enabled, then check if the heading has a colon or not. if(colonSplit){ if(!heading.includes(":")){ //return true; } else { heading = heading.split(":")[0]; } } // Give the heading an ID var heading_id = "heading-" + i; $(`<div id="${heading_id}" class="anchor"></div>`).insertBefore(theHeadingTag) // Add numbers? var numberText = ""; if(isNumbered){ numberText = i + ". "; } // Add the list item newMenuList.append(`<li class="sub-item">${numberText}<a href="#${heading_id}">${heading}</a></li>`); // Increment i += 1; }); // Show menu if it has some items. if(i > 1) { newMenu.show(); } }, false); </script> <style> .section-blog-article .text-rich-text {position:relative} .blog-menu {position:absolute;left:-250px; width:225px;height:100%} .blog-menu_wrapper {position:sticky;top:150px;bottom:0;height:80vh;overflow-y:auto;} .blog-menu_toc {font-weight: bold;font-size: 0.9rem;color: #777;} .blog-menu ul.blog-menu_list {font-size: 1rem;border-left: 1px solid #EEE;list-style:none;list-style-type: none;} .blog-menu ul.blog-menu_list li {font-size: .9rem;background: none;padding-left: 0px;} @media only screen and (max-width: 1400px) { .blog-menu { display: none!important; } } </style></div><script src="https://d3e54v103j8qbb.cloudfront.net/js/jquery-3.5.1.min.dc5e7f18c8.js?site=63ece81ba4a783f18434aad2" type="text/javascript" integrity="sha256-9/aliU8dGd2tb6OSsuzixeV4y/faTqgFtohetphbbj0=" crossorigin="anonymous"></script><script src="/wf-assets/js/webflow.f81f05c9.621344334e9f6516.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script> // Make the whole text & link block clickable in the nav menu $('.dd-link.is-stacked').click(function(event) { var href = $(this).children('a').first().attr('href'); window.location = href; }); </script> <script> // when the DOM is ready $(document).ready(function() { // get the li items const listItems = $('li'); // for each li item listItems.each(function(index, item){ // check for '~' character // it's recommended to start with the deepest level of sub bullet // to ensure only the relevant classes are applied // if the li item text starts with '~~' if($(item).text().startsWith('~~')){ // run indentText() function indentText(this, 'sub-bullet-2'); } // else if the li item starts with '~' else if($(item).text().startsWith('~')){ // run indentText() function indentText(this, 'sub-bullet'); } }); // indentText function function indentText(li, className){ // add relevant className to li item // if the li item text starts with '~~' add the sub-bullet-2 class // else if the li item starts with '~' add the sub-bullet class $(li).addClass(className); // remove the '~' from the li items // the regex /~+/g // matches any one or more ~ characters const reformatedText = $(li).html().replace(/~+/g,''); // replace the li item's html text that has ~ tags // with the new text that removed the ~ character(s) $(li).html(reformatedText); } }); </script></body></html>