Report recommends establishment of a People’s Participation Network

The work of the Health and Wellbeing Cluster on Collective Intelligence and Wellbeing was published recently as part of a major Government Report on Citizen Engagement with Local Government.  The report of the working group on citizen engagement with local government recommends that a People’s Participation Network (PPN) be established in every Local Authority area to ensure extensive input by citizens into the decision-making process at local government level. The Working Group, which was set up in September 2013 under the chairmanship of Seán Healy, Director of Social Justice Ireland,  sets out how the PPN should operate to enable the community and voluntary and environmental sectors to take an active formal role in the policy making and oversight activities of the Local Authority.  It proposes a framework for public participation and formal engagement with the community and will be underpinned by regulations and guidelines from the Department.  Engagement of this nature has been provided for under the Local Government Reform Act 2014. The regulations and guidelines, while allowing for the set-up of the framework for public participation across all Local Authorities, will also allow for more diverse engagement of citizens through other mechanisms, including the use of social media.  Dr. Michael Hogan, co-leader of the Health and Wellbeing Cluster at the Whitaker Institute for Innovation and Societal change considers the People’s Participation Network “to be a major breakthrough for Government and the national Wellbeing movement in Ireland.  The People’s Participation Network will have the development of a statement of wellbeing for its own area (county or municipal area) as the first item on its agenda.  This is hugely important.  The wellbeing consultation method we used at our conference is presented in the appendix of the report as a methodology for thinking, planning, and acting collectively on wellbeing.  We look forward to working with local government and members of the People’s Participation Network.”

The full Irish Times article is available here: http://www.irishtimes.com/business/balance-between-what-industry-wants-and-what-academia-delivers-1.1749218