THE UK CONSULT | Episode 16: Wotsits, Baked Beans, & Concerns over COVID-19 Public Engagement

UK Consult

A BIG First for the Podcast as Jonno Takes The Reigns from Elt with Rising Podcast Star Charly Amos! See if you can sense how the radio quality has fallen in Elton's absence as Charly tries to keep things together. Not to mention the jokes! Charly's Choons and Jonathan's Bangers This week Charly's community engagement practice gets its vibe from the subconscious consumption of Purple Disco Machine Essentials. Have a listen -> https://music.apple.com/gb/playlist/purple-disco-machine-essentials/pl.67c73df0dbba4c31aa522ca45a1bbf13 Jonno let slip his secret adoration for all things ABBA after admitting he can't get the Mamma Mia soundtrack out of his head, especially Our Last Summer. Our Last Summer is available here -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyUZe8xRNnQ&feature=youtu.be Emerging Trends & Themes in Online Public Consultation and Community Engagement Charly reflects on her recent conversations with Bang the Table legend and globe trotter extraordinaire Ray Scanlan about how hard it is for local councils to do proper budget engagement. Jonno picked the same topic but his angle is that post Covid19 local councils need to improve their approach to budget consultation. As it happens we will be hosting a webinar on doing this online very soon - watch this space! Judge Jonno - Cycling and Walking Consultation Judge Jonno is back this week to preside over Crawley Council's approach to consulting the public on cycling and walking (and it seems jogging). Already grumpy about too many Councils adopting a lackadaisical approach to public consultation on Gear Change A Bold Vision for Cycling and Walking, Judge Jonno is not happy. He's especially upset by this question: Do you think it is important to make it easier for people to walk and cycle in Crawley? Project Launch of The Week in EngagementHQ Charly is super happy to have found Tower Hamlet's new project (https://talk.towerhamlets.gov.uk/southdockbridge), consulting with the public on the proposed design for the new pedestrian crossing over the South Dock, linking South Quay with Canary Wharf and Wood Wharf. Charly likes their use of video and images to bring their proposals to life, as well as their use of multiple widgets and the news feed to keep consultees informed and engaged. Back in the hot seat, Jonno picks out the great work being done by Statkraft on their windfarm public consultation. The Scottish Government has laid out certain requirements for public consultation when it comes to planning post Covid19. Statkraft has tried to go above and beyond their specification with their Artfield Forest Virtual Exhibition. -> https://projects.statkraft.co.uk/artfield-forest-virtual-exhibition Stats of the Week Charly dazzles us with the fact that per capita the British eat double the amount of baked beans than any other country! Not to be outdone Jonno brings the number 10 into play, highlighting Wotsit's recent world record for the longest ever Wotsit at just over 10 metres (other corn snacks are available). You can take a look at the worlds longest Wotsit here -> https://twitter.com/walkers_crisps/status/1300738418788442113?s=20 Meanwhile back in the world of public engagement, we are astonished that a worldwide opinion poll (https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/three-four-adults-globally-say-they-would-get-vaccine-covid-19) has found that one in four people do not intend to take a vaccine for Covid19 if it becomes available. Jonno puts this down to bad engagement by the governments concerned who are allowing "big tech" to disrupt the public sphere. Meldrew Moments Charly breaks the format with her chirpy "back to school" news. Meanwhile, in Grumpyville, a newsletter from South West Water which landed on his doormat this week almost filled Jonno with bliss. But soon he was REALLY grumpy with a key feature of their New Deal called WaterShare+. One of its main parts A Greater Say is in danger of being a major let down.