Public Consultation Toolkit - Civil Service College

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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, .
Public Consultation Toolkit Public Consultation Toolkit 2. Reasons for public consultation The reasons for public consultation in Singapore are: 1. To feel the pulse • Anticipate concerns from stakeholders/public early • Understand stakeholder/public sentiment and the ground situation • Provide a channel for stakeholders to be heard and enable greater participation in the policy development process 2. To test and refine ideas for better policy solutions • Gather diverse views and insights from stakeholders/public • Ascertain feasibility of intended policy change or new initiative • Seek options and check against policy alternatives 3. To facilitate implementation of policies and initiatives • Generate awareness and enable stakeholders to understand the policies/initiatives better • Obtain buy-in from stakeholders by seeking their contribution to the policies/initiatives to be implemented • Mitigate or find resolutions to opposing interests to prevent conflicting views at implementation stage • Couch appropriate public communication messages, particularly for controversial or contentious issues. 3. Key guiding principles for public consultation 1. Policy-making should be inclusive and take into account views of stakeholders. Public officers should see inherent value in stakeholder feedback. 2. Public consultation should be a first thought, rather than an afterthought, in the policy development process. 3. The outcome of consultation should not be pre-determined. 4. Consultation should involve a fair representation of all stakeholders who are affected, interested and/or can contribute to the policy development process. 5. Modes of consultation should be carefully considered and selected to reach the relevant stakeholders and gather the appropriate types of information. 6. The consultation process should be conducted in a transparent, consistent, structured and timely manner. Sufficient time should be given to those being consulted to understand and respond to an issue. 7. Consultation materials should provide sufficient background information that is clear and easily understandable to participants. 8. The scope and parameters of the consultation should be clear to the participants to set the right expectations. Participants should be provided with a clear understanding of how their input will be sought and managed. 9. Agencies should be responsive and follow through with stakeholders on how their feedback was considered and the extent of its impact on the policy in a constructive manner. 10. Agencies should ensure that the consultation process is mutually respectful, nondiscriminatory and equitable, regardless of gender, race, age, educational levels or religious beliefs.
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Public Consultation Toolkit - Civil Service College

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