Public Consultation Toolkit - Civil Service College

Public Consultation Toolkit Public Consultation Toolkit
Case 2:
‘Friends of LTA’ – An illustration of public engagement
Agency/country:
• Land Transport Authority (LTA), Singapore
Background:
• The third strategic thrust of LTA’s Land Transport Master Plan is to “meet the diverse needs of
the people”.
• In support of this strategic thrust, LTA began its Friends of LTA (FOLTA) scheme in May 2008.
FOLTA invites members of the public – students, retirees, business leaders, housewives and
those with diverse needs – to become informal ambassadors of land transport.
Engagement Process:
• LTA regularly engages FOLTA at corporate events, visits to construction sites and other
activities to obtain a behind-the-scenes perspective of land transport 1 .
Outcomes:
• FOLTA members provide valuable feedback to LTA on the needs of the public and provide
ideas on improving land transport. In 2010, FOLTA’s participation in several focus group
discussions offered specific valuable input that helped to:
From the cases on page 2 and 3, it can generally be seen that:
Public Consultation is specific to a policy or initiative, and seeks to understand stakeholder
sentiment, or to test, validate or prioritise policy options. It is also important to note that there
is a key difference between public communication and public consultation. In the former, the
policy decision has been made and the government is communicating the decision to the
public. In the latter, the policy decision has not been made and the government is seeking input
from stakeholders.
Public Engagement involves active involvement of stakeholders over a longer period of time,
ideally through a more substantive and deliberative dialogue/conversation that promotes
mutual and shared understanding, and through ongoing partnership and collaboration.
1.2. How to use this Toolkit
This Toolkit provides public officers with:
1. A starting point to embark on effective public consultation,
2. Practical guidelines and steps for the planning and implementation of public consultation,
3. Compilation of channels which public officers can use to conduct public consultation; and
4. Case examples from international and Singapore agencies.
There is no “one size fits all” solution. This toolkit merely provides a point of reference
upon which further customisation can be done.
- Shape the content and tone of public messaging on Distance Fares to ensure clarity
- Clarify current public perceptions of LTA
Source:
1 Land Transport Authority, 2009. Friends of LTA case study, .