Supplementary memorandum by Transport
for London (TfL) (LGC 30(a))
TfL CONSULTATION POLICY STATEMENT (ANNEX
A)
1. Consultation helps TfL to make better-informed
decisions and makes us accountable to the public. It is important
to each of the individual businesses. All staff have a role to
play.
FRAMEWORK
2. We will comply with our legal obligations
to consult, including duties to consult on best value reviews,
private hire licensing, applications for Transport & Works
Act orders, changes to local bus services, granting of London
service permits and traffic orders.
3. We will go beyond our legal obligations
where the following three tests are met:
— it will help us to make better-informed
decisions and become more accountable to the public;
— it is practical and affordable; and
— we have learnt what we can learn
from research, complaints and suggestions.
4. In doing so, we will consider two options:
— carrying out consultations not required
by law. This may involve going beyond the minimum requirements
set out in relevant legislation by consulting more widely or at
additional stages. Or it may mean consulting on projects where
we have no obligation to consult at all; and
— meeting the public. For example,
we will attend regular liaison meetings with London boroughs,
local forums, residents associations and user groups. We will
maintain a continuous dialogue with the London Transport Users
Committee. And we will arrange open public meetings, surgeries
and discussions with schools.
PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS
5. Consultations—statutory or otherwise—provide
us with opportunities to advocate what we believe to be right
and to listen to responses from the public. We will adhere to
the following principles. Public consultations will be:
Principle 1: focused and timely
We should only consult if we have a clear purpose
and an open mind:
— We will set specific objectives for
each consultation exercise, considering alternative approaches
such as market research.
— We will seek public input into the
design of options as well as consulting on specific proposals.
Principle 2: accessible and targeted
People directly affected by a proposal should
have a right to know about it and an opportunity to have their
say. If we fail to target our audience and develop appropriate
communication materials and techniques we risk swamping familiar
stakeholders, while leaving the "silent majority" and
socially excluded groups without a voice:
— We will identify our target audiences
and appropriate communication channels when setting consultation
objectives.
— We will seek to explain why the issue
is important.
— We will use appropriate and accessible
language and formats.
— We will give consultees the name
of someone they can talk to.
Principle 3: informative and accountable
If we tell the public everything they need to
know, they are more likely to feel we are accountable to them
and their responses should be more helpful:
— We will provide full explanations
of options and proposals in plain language.
— We will set out clearly the previous
stages in the process and what decisions have already been taken.
— We will provide feedback on the consultation,
explaining what we have decided and why, and saying what happens
next.
Principle 4: timed appropriately
A common criticism of public service consultations
is that we do not give stakeholder groups enough time to co-ordinate
the views of their members before they respond. The public are
generally happy with shorter timescales. Except in circumstances
beyond our control:
— We will give stakeholder groups a
minimum of two months to respond to major consultations.
— On more minor local ones we will
give stakeholder groups a minimum of five weeks to respond, and
individual members of the public at least three weeks.
Principle 5: honest and fair
The public will be justly critical of us if
we appear to favour particular options and interests without good
reason or to be withholding key information in any consultation
process. At worst we may lay ourselves open to costly legal action.
— We will ensure that what we say in
our proposals and feedback is accurate and balanced, while explaining
it where appropriate in the context of the Mayor's Transport Strategy.
— We will test any changes we have
introduced, involving the public wherever possible, and, if we
feel we have got things wrong, admit and rectify our mistakes.
6. The toolkit offers guidance on how to
put these principles into practice. It covers how to use complaints,
suggestions and research; how to consult the public and how to
provide them with feedback. And it explains who you can go to
for help.
7. Relevant managers and staff will be offered
training in consultation and given an opportunity to comment on
the toolkit.
8. Performance against this policy will
be evaluated.
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