Cornwall councillors’ verdict on STP engagement process: ‘ill-conceived’ and ‘unprofessional’

STP survey was ‘ill-conceived’ and ‘unprofessional’
On March 15, 2017 the Cornwall Council sub-committee set up to keep tabs on the Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) produced a report on the STP Outline Business Case and the process of engagement with the public, undertaken through a series of meetings and a survey. About the engagement process it had this to say:

In our view the process of engagement with the public was inadequate and seriously flawed. There was inconsistency of information provided dependent on the facilitator and this has to be rectified. The questionnaire contained closed questions, was ill conceived and was unprofessional. Members of the public were left feeling alienated, angry and frustrated. (My italics)

You can read their report, described as a ‘position statement’, here. The chair of the sub-committee told the Health and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee (its ‘parent’ committee), that a fuller report, complete with supporting evidence, would follow.

At the time of writing this post, that fuller report is still awaited. Meanwhile, there is some grim satisfaction to be afforded by a Cornwall Council body having investigated what lies behind the ‘spin’ rather than merely rubber-stamping papers put before them.

Peter Levin