Public Consultation
A comprehensive public consultation process was carried out across Cork City plan area, engaging groups not traditionally well-represented in such consultations. This comprehensive public consultation was an important element of the preparation of the Draft Plan Framework. In the roll-out of the public consultation process, a wide representation of local communities, interests and groups in society (young people, migrants, people with disabilities) was achieved through a mix of online consultation and workshops. The Cork City Council report outlines and summarises the findings of a public consultation that took place over 10 weeks in March, April and May 2023 for the development of the new Local Economic and Community Plan 2024 – 2029. Input was sought from all who call Cork City home, who work, do business and study in the city, and even those who visit Cork. There were several ways people and organisations could ‘have their say’ from sending in a written submission, completing an online survey, taking part in an in-person event and/or through stakeholder workshops and interagency meetings. The consultation was driven by best practice guidelines on local and community engagement and the values outlined in the Values and Principles for Collaboration and Partnership Working with the Community and Voluntary Sector. Cork City Council’s LECP Consultation Phase was selected as a model of best practice by the Department of Rural and Community Development and features in the ‘Guide to Inclusive Community Engagement (second edition). The aim of the public consultation was to hear as many views as possible from across the city with a special focus on reaching the seldom heard and building on a partnership approach with stakeholders. An extensive media campaign helped spread the word. This featured 5000 flyers distributed across the city and a bus stop poster campaign. A QR code was used to direct people to the LECP webpage which featured a short animation, 6 video interviews with local community development stakeholders and a 1-pager to explain what the LECP written in plain English. Staff from the LECP team went ‘on the road’ setting up pop-up clinics across all 10 city libraries. A total of 54 written submissions were received along with 462 online responses and 14 bespoke in- person consultation workshops were held targeting key stakeholders and seldom heard groups such as single parents, the travelling community, young people, older people and disabled people/people with disabilities. A number of common themes emerged during the consultation process: • One of the most commonly occurring themes from the consultation is the call for reduced inequality and greater inclusion. There was a strong social justice dimension to this, including highlighting the needs of Disabled people/People with a disability, single parents, older people, young people, the Traveller community and LGBTI+ groups as well as the value of progressing a city-wide approach to integration. • Ensuring Safety in community areas and the city centre also came through very strongly in online survey response to qualitative questions. • There was a strong call for increased community level partnership and community resourcing between social, business, environmental and other stakeholders and for enhanced partnership with universities and institutions of further education to advance economic diversification and social inclusion objectives. • Increased accessibility of services has also featured very strongly in consultation feedback which ranged from making community facilities and businesses more wheelchair accessible, providing training and skills to young people in marginalised neighbourhoods to making arts, culture, and library facilities more accessible.
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