Talking

We will be clear and honest about:

how you can get involved
what we are doing with what you’ve told us

Communicating ways to get involved

Residents should find out about how they can get involved in things that matter to them in a consistent way. Examples of where opportunities to ‘have your say’ could be regularly advertised are:

Website
Direct contact with relevant groups and services
Email notifications through partner mailing lists
Customer Access Points and Libraries
Social media
Local news outlets
Primary care/GP practices

Other ways to find the right stakeholders for your project

Engagement teams have lists of people signed up to get involved. They also have contacts within local groups and organisations who can support by spreading the word. Communications teams are also well placed to support with getting the word out.

Accord (nelccg.accord@nhs.net) was developed by the CCG more than ten years ago and has approximately 1500 members who have expressed an interest in health and social care. All members receive a quarterly newsletter, and any members with email address also get a fortnightly update, with details of the latest news, health and care surveys and any engagement being undertaken by public sector partners. The Council also holds a list of over 5000 community members who have asked to be kept informed of consultations and surveys in NEL. They send out a regular email to these recipients. Information can be included in this bulletin by emailing tellus@nelincs.gov.uk. These bulletins are also circulated to local public, voluntary and community sector partners.

There is a key relationship between the community and elected members. Part of an elected member’s role is to understand the concerns and needs of the local community. They also enable and encourage residents to get involved in local democracy, share their views, and create positive change in their own communities. Elected members represent their electoral wards they and have a clear role in the engagement process. There are 42 Councillors Elected Members on North East Lincolnshire Council. You can find your local ward Councillor or those with responsibilities on certain boards and panels here https://www.nelincs.gov.uk/your-council/councillors-mps-and-meps/find-your-councillor/

If needed they can also deal with individual’s issues and act as an advocate for in resolving concerns about local services. An elected member can also be a Cabinet member that has responsibility for a ‘portfolio’ of Council services. The Council’s engagement and democratic services teams can offer advice about working with elected members at ward or portfolio level

There are various ways elected members take part: • Cabinet • Council • Boards • Health and Wellbeing Board • Union Board • Committees • Appointments Committee • Audit and Governance Committee • Crime and Disorder Committee • Licensing and Community Protection Committee • Planning Committee • Standards and Adjudication Committee • Town and Parish Councils Liaison Committee • Scrutiny panels • Children and Lifelong Learning Scrutiny Panel • Communities Scrutiny Panel • Economy Scrutiny Panel • Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Panel • Tourism and Visitor Economy Scrutiny Panel •

Council meetings are held regularly, and details are here https://www.nelincs.gov.uk/your-council/

Sector Support https://www.sectorsupportnel.org.uk/ are the organisation commissioned by the Council and health partners to support the local voluntary, community, and social enterprise sector. They send out a weekly digital update to over 500 organisations, who can in turn forward your information on to their staff and customers. Sector Support also coordinate the local VCSE Forum, which is a meeting of VCSE organisations once a month at Centre4. If you are interested in attending, contact Sector Support.

VCSE Alliance NEL VCSE Alliance – Supporting the Growth and Sustainability of the VCSE Sector in North East Lincolnshire (alliance-nel.org.uk )

VANEL http://vanel.org.uk/va/ supports and coordinates several local community organisations and projects across the area.

Local Community Forums take place in some communities and wards in the area. These forums often involve local elected ward councillors/members. To find out if there is one in the community your project relates to, contact the ward member.

Healthwatch https://healthwatchnortheastlincolnshire.co.uk / is an organisation established to find out about people’s views and experiences of health and social care services

Town, Village and Parish Councils

The town, parish and village councils and North East Lincolnshire Borough Council have agreed to publish a charter which sets out how they aim to work together for the benefit of local people.

This Charter is the result of discussions locally to establish a new way of working and to confirm existing good practice and teamwork. It is underpinned by the shared principles of openness, mutual respect, honesty, responsibility, transparency and accessibility

Town, village and parish council charter | NELC (nelincs.gov.uk)

Members of Parliament – the members of parliament for North East Lincolnshire are Lia Nici (Greater Grimsby) 01472 426470, lia.nici.mp@parliament.uk , and Martin Vickers (Cleethorpes) 01472 603 554, mvickersmp@parliament.uk . The Great Grimsby constituency covers the main parts of central Grimsby – East Marsh, Freshney, Heneage, Park, Scartho, South, West Marsh and Yarborough. The Cleethorpes Constituency covers the rest of North East Lincolnshire – Croft Baker, Haverstoe, Humberston and New Waltham, Immingham, Sidney Sussex, Waltham, and Wolds, and the Borough of North Lincolnshire wards of Barton and Ferry.

Schools and education settings – Information and contact details for all local schools, academies, pre-schools and special schools is available here https://www.nelincs.gov.uk/children-families-and-schools/schools-and-education/find-schools-in-my-area/

Business Networks Efactor https://e-factor.co.uk/ support the local business community and coordinate a local business network

Chamber of Commerce https://www.hull-humber-chamber.co.uk/pages/about-the-chamber

Producing accessible information to ensure that everyone can get involved

It is important to ensure that your communications are accessible, Navigo have created a great guide to developing accessible information online Digital Accessibility :: NAViGO (navigocare.co.uk)
The Government have also produced a handy guide for producing hard copy accessible documents and easy read versions https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-communication/accessible-communication-formats

Public meetings

We hold public meetings to keep the public informed of changes in the local public services. Getting the right people around the table is key to holding a successful public event.

Identify the audience(s) you want to engage with. (Refer to your stakeholder map)
What’s the best format for your meeting? What do you want to achieve? (are you purely informing people, or do we want to hear people’s views or involve them in developing a solution?)
Decide on the format of your meeting – Public meetings can come in all shapes and forms – each with their own positives and negatives. The important thing to note is that each will allow you to achieve different outcomes in terms of your engagement work.
- An ‘in person’ public meeting is a great way of providing information to a significant number of participants at one time. It gives the presenter the opportunity to use presentations to show plans etc. The downside to this approach is that it can be difficult to engage the audience in any conversation on the subject matter. People are also sometimes uncomfortable asking questions in a large public meeting – so if this is your format, it may be good to offer the opportunity to submit questions in advance or anonymously. It is sometimes possible to hold a number of small ‘focus’ groups as part of a much larger public meeting.
  - Identify a suitable venue(s) and visit if needed. Consider your target audiences when choosing a venue for a public event. Aim for places where people are likely to visit and those with disability access, (N.B. don’t go to places with only one accessible entrance that is at the back of the building to make people look ‘different’). Think about transport routes, Wi-Fi, room size, parking, cost and the facilities you will require in terms of electricity, screens, projectors, tables etc.
  - Here is a list of venues in NEL – this list is not exhaustive, just some suggestions – always visit beforehand to find the right venue for your meeting.
  - Liaise with the venue to find a suitable date and time for staff and attendees.
  - One week before the event, visit the venue to confirm arrangements and layout (signing in tables, position of tables etc.) Take time to check IT works ok at the venue – including testing any PA systems.
  - Risk assessments – As standard, you will need to ensure that a risk assessment is carried out. The purpose of a risk assessment is to ensure that the organiser considers all the potential hazards that could occur because of the proposed event, any groups of people who would be at risk from the hazard, and the action(s) that needs to be taken to control them. In the first instance, speak to the venue to find out if they have a process which they will need you to follow – in any case, it is often helpful to visit so that you can assess any hazards for yourself and taking the opportunity to identify any through flows, access to the site etc. https://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/risk/risk-assessment-template-and-examples.htm
  - Available resources – The CCG has voting handset software, which is available to facilitate engagement with our local communities. Clikapad is a handheld voting device which does not need wi-fi access and has a wide variety of functions. The 160 individual handsets can be used for anything from a simple quiz; asking the public to rank their priorities; voting on proposals at a meeting – the possibilities are endless. For more information, please contact nelccg.accord@nhs.net
- Digital/virtual events have grown in popularity since the pandemic. Things that would have previously been held in face-to-face settings have moved to the digital world. There are a multitude of different platforms for hosting digital meetings – each with their own pros and cons. Your choice of technology will depend on what is available to you, and what works best for your target audience. Think about:
  - What is most accessible?
  - Will your event be accessible to people who do not have access to your chosen platform?
  - Is there an option to join the meeting via phone call?
  - Will you be able to provide a recording of the event to people who were unable to attend on the day?
  - Will you be providing any sensitive/confidential information? If so, you may wish to consider a platform that is supported by your organisation.

Contact key members of staff for the event to find out their availability.
Publicise the event/save the date – social media, press release, websites, posters in key places throughout North East Lincolnshire.
If it is an event with limited numbers, provide more information on the content about a month before the event, and ask people to book a place. Maintain a list of attendees and staff/presenters.

Page last updated: 06 Oct 2023