Published: Tuesday 13 January 2026
A new set of Public Participation Commitments which set out how residents can influence services and shape decisions, have been formally agreed by the Council.
The commitments were co-designed with residents over several months last year and agreed by Full Council in December 2025. They replace the Charter for Public Participation.
More than 500 local people took part in a 12-week consultation earlier in 2025. We asked people how we could improve how we involve local communities in decisions that affect them. The feedback shaped the new commitments directly.
Following the consultation, three co-design sessions were held with residents. Residents volunteered from across the borough and represented different ages, backgrounds and experiences. They worked with Council officers to refresh the commitments, including the new name Public Participation Commitments – our community, our people, our voices.
In the Commitments, local people told us they wanted:
- clearer, more accessible language
- early engagement before decisions are made
- to understand why a particular participation approach is being used for a specific issue and be entitled to question whether that is the right approach
- stronger accountability and feedback
- better openness and transparency
- more inclusive engagement that reaches under-represented groups
- hearing about what has changed as a result of their input
Everyone taking part in the co-design sessions was paid the London Living Wage.
The new commitments explain how and when residents can expect to be consulted, engaged, co-designed with and involved in Council decisions. They follow our pledge to become more open and listening, including commitments from the Grenfell Inquiry.
A new framework will now be developed with residents to measure how these commitments are delivered. A resident oversight group will help track progress and hold us to account.
The full Public Participation Commitments document is now part of the Council’s constitution.