Citizen forums ‘will ask tough questions about the role of Citizen and State’

Citizen forums ‘will ask tough questions about the role of Citizen and State’

15.01.07

New social research published today shows what people think and expect from the State and public services. It signals how people as citizens want to interact with the State and what kind of role the State should play in their lives.

The evidence from Ipsos MORI provides a new insight into the public’s thinking and appetites for change regarding rights and responsibilities, tackling damaging behaviours that hinder communities and ensuring more customer-focused public services.

The research has been carried out as part of the government’s policy review looking at challenges for the next ten years and beyond and marks the beginning of the public engagement phase.

Cabinet Office Ministers Pat McFadden and Ed Miliband steered a discussion about the research at Downing Street today. Pat McFadden said the government wanted “to assess future challenges in a way that is democratic, upfront, presents all the information to the public and doesn’t shy away from the tough issues.” He said citizen forums would be faced with real-life examples of the choices government faces.

 “It’s important we hear from businesses and public services that have made great strides in turning around their services to meet customer demands, learn about what barriers they faced and how they make use of social research.”

At the meeting the Prime Minister and Secretaries of State talked with businesses and public sector representatives with proven track records of shaping services around customers. They discussed how the research could inform customer care and discussed experiences in private and public sectors of service reform.

The government says it will use the research to put “important and tough questions” about the future of public services and the relationship between the citizen and state to the ‘citizen forums’.

The citizen forums will be made up of 100 independently selected members, representative of the population, recruiting “ordinary people drawn from all walks of life”. The aim is not just for them to give their opinions as of members of the public, but also to advise what action the government should take.

They will meet across the country in February which culminates in a London summit to discuss conclusions in March. Findings will be presented to the Cabinet to inform public service agreements and the forthcoming spending review.

The Cabinet Office is managing the process behind the reviews and launched the policy review pages of its website, where new presentations will be posted over the next few months.

The questions raised by MORI for the citizen forums can be found on the Cabinet Office website: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/policy_review/pr_presentation.pdf    

Presentations and more information on the policy review are available at http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/policy_review/index.asp  

Source: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk