Did anyone notice a sleight of hand in the Future Library report? In the section on User and community engagement the report talks about the need for early engagement and the difference between engagement and consulting. It says "There needs to be confidence from the community that the process is an open and transparent one, that options can be explored before a preferred option is identified and that there will be no decisions until after effective consultation."
According to the Local Government Group, Community empowerment is defined as the outcome of community engagement - but the report presents a model of community empowerment featuring the transfer of assets to community groups and the use of volunteers. Is this model the outcome of engagement or is it a top down decision being forced on communities?
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