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Context: Edinburgh, West Lothian, and Midlothian councils, together with NHS Lothian, recognised the need for more joined-up approaches to consultation and reporting on equality outcomes across organisational boundaries.
Approach: Developed shared consultation mechanisms and explored opportunities for aligned reporting.
Implementation:
- Joint consultation from 3 November to 22 December 2020
- Shared online platform accessible to all residents
- 257 responses including 92% from individuals
- Transparent reporting of findings by each partner organisation
- Published equality outcomes based on consultation
Impact:
- Enabled residents across multiple council areas to participate in a single, coordinated consultation process
- Generated an evidence base covering issues affecting multiple local authority areas and NHS services
- Created a shared evidence base that informed equality outcomes and policy development across partner organisations
- Published accessible consultation summaries across partner areas
Key Learning:
- Cross-boundary consultation captures issues that span multiple service providers
- Shared processes reduce consultation fatigue
- Transparency builds trust across organisations
- Collaborative consultation strengthens the evidence base for policy decisions
- Joint consultation processes can surface cross-cutting issues that may not emerge in single-organisation approaches
(Source: Equality Outcomes 2021-2025 Consultation feedback, Edinburgh Council)