Building Trust and Transparency A Practical Guide for Councils to Foster Community Engagement

Opportunities for Engagement Must Be Intentional

Building trust and transparency in the community is not just a goal; it's a journey that councils need to lead with intention. This journey starts with a shared vision that involves all stakeholders, including the public, ensuring everyone has a voice and role in shaping the process. This vision must be developed collaboratively and supported by a strong framework, built gradually by starting with manageable, small initiatives.

Councillors play a vital role as representatives of their communities, acting as liaisons between the council and the community to ensure that voices are heard during decision making processes. However, councillors do not need to be involved in every engagement activity directly. Their role should be strategic guiding the relationship between the council and the community, rather than managing every interaction.

To ensure councillors are effective in their roles, part of their training should focus on transparency and trust. Understanding these concepts is essential for effectively representing and engaging with the community. Councils must balance their comfort level with various engagement methods against the community's expectations. Using tools like online polls, email surveys, and social media can help gather feedback and understand which engagement level is most suitable for different contexts.

Starting Small to Build Trust

Starting small is a practical way to build trust incrementally. For instance, a local park upgrade can serve as an initial project that prioritises transparency and community engagement. Simply providing accessible information to residents—such as options on whether to include a basketball court via online polls can make a significant difference. It allows the community to engage without overwhelming them or council resources.

The Role of Technology in Boosting Trust

Strategic investment in technology is a crucial step toward enhancing trust in council operations. According to recent research by Datacom, 70% of surveyed residents indicated that increased technological investment would improve their confidence in council activities. Councils that leverage digital tools, such as real-time dashboards, transparent budgeting platforms, and enhanced digital communication channels, are likely to see a significant boost in public trust and satisfaction. This proactive use of technology not only modernises council operations but also ensures that residents have greater access to information and opportunities for engagement.

Community Segmentation for Targeted Engagement

Community segmentation is an effective tool for improving targeted engagement, especially in larger councils with distinct wards. Councils could create dedicated groups, such as neighbourhood-specific Facebook pages or even use a central council page for smaller councils. This helps councillors lead engagement in their areas without needing to be involved in every detail, allowing residents to participate in discussions that directly affect them.

For councils with limited resources, outsourcing social media management or partnering with other councils can make engagement more efficient and sustainable. By collaborating regionally and sharing platforms, councils can reduce costs while improving engagement quality.

Proactive and Balanced Engagement

Councils need to proactively engage with their communities to shape discussions rather than react to emerging issues. Social media is becoming a central platform for public discourse, and if councils are not actively present, they risk losing control of the narrative. Investing in technology also helps councils take control of the narrative, particularly on social media. By adopting proactive digital strategies, councils can ensure timely and accurate dissemination of information, reducing the risk of misinformation or negative narratives dominating community discussions.

However, engagement should always be balanced; too much can be as detrimental as too little. Councils can use tools like polls and surveys to determine the appropriate level of engagement. Doing nothing is not an option; even minimal engagement helps foster an ongoing relationship between the council and the community.

Planning for Transparency: Building Trust Through Strategic Engagement

Building trust in a community is an ongoing effort that benefits from both small, localised initiatives and well-planned, strategic engagement. Councils can find value in gradually scaling engagement—starting with smaller projects and expanding as community trust and processes mature.

Building trust in a community isn’t just about being transparent; it’s about being proactive and strategic in planning how we communicate and engage. Councils often find themselves under scrutiny when decisions seem to emerge suddenly or when residents feel excluded from processes that impact their lives. To foster a genuine sense of trust, councils must not only be open with their data but also intentionally create opportunities for the community to engage meaningfully. This is where planning plays a crucial role.

Transparency Begins Before Decisions Are Made

One of the key principles of fostering trust is ensuring that transparency doesn’t simply happen at the point of decision but well before that, during the planning stages. Too often, councils share information only when a decision has been finalised or is near completion. This approach creates a reactive environment where residents are merely informed after the event, rather than engaged before, leading to frustration and eroding trust. To truly embrace transparency, councils must integrate community engagement into the planning phase, allowing time for genuine dialogue.

Planning is about more than setting timelines; it’s about creating space for understanding. This means sharing background information, laying out potential options, and outlining the issues in accessible language. By helping residents understand the complexities as well as the council does, we create an environment where community members feel informed, respected, and valued.

Strategic engagement requires intentionality. Councils need to proactively create multiple touchpoints for community involvement. This could mean using online surveys, community workshops, or even informal drop-in sessions where residents can ask questions and provide feedback. Importantly, this engagement should happen early enough that public input genuinely shapes the outcome, rather than serving as a box-ticking exercise.

The International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) provides a set of core values that can help guide effective community engagement. According to these values, engagement should empower the community to influence decision-making, with an emphasis on transparency in how their feedback will be used. This is a crucial aspect of building trust, as residents need to see how their voices make a difference. (Reference: https://www.iap2.org/page/corevalues)

Clear Communication and Accessibility

Another essential component of transparency is accessibility. Councils need to ensure that the information they share is easy to understand, devoid of jargon, and accessible to all community members, regardless of their background. A clear communication strategy is crucial, providing updates at regular intervals, summarising key points, and avoiding overly technical language. The OECD emphasises that transparency must be accompanied by relevance and clarity to foster trust effectively. (Reference: https://www.oecd.org/en/topics/trust-and-democracy.html)

Effective planning also involves recognising the needs of different segments of the community. Information should be presented in multiple formats, written, visual, or interactive, to cater to diverse preferences and ensure inclusivity. For example, open data platforms can provide detailed datasets for those wanting to explore the numbers, while simplified infographics can make the same information accessible to others who may not be as comfortable interpreting raw data.

Making Transparency Tangible: Examples and Best Practices

Many councils across Australia and globally have embraced strategic engagement to foster transparency. For instance, councils that have adopted open data initiatives as part of their digital transformation journey have made financial statements and project reports available and provided dashboards allowing residents to interact with the data. The Australian Digital Transformation Agency encourages these practices as they enable the public to better scrutinise and understand government operations. (Reference: https://www.dta.gov.au)

Another best practice is establishing a clear code of conduct for council members, ensuring all decisions are made ethically and transparently. Local Government Victoria has emphasised that adhering to ethical standards can significantly contribute to community trust by eliminating doubts about council members' intentions and actions. (Reference: https://www.localgovernment.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/word_doc/0017/211382/Guidance-on-the-Model-Councillor-Code-of-Conduct-2024-061124.docx)

Future Focus: Frameworks for Effective Implementation

This journey of building trust and transparency will be ongoing. Starting with better and more insightful information being made available is a good initial step. As an extension of our previous discussions on trust, it is evident that councils need specific frameworks and concrete examples to implement these engagement strategies effectively. This focus on practical implementation will guide our future discussions, helping councils turn ideas into actionable, impactful steps towards building stronger community relationships.

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