Participatory practice in the context of Local Agenda 21: a case study evaluation of experience in three English local authorities

This paper examines the different ways in which the participatory principles of Agenda 21 are being put into practice in the UK, by reference to research in three 'progressive' localities: Kirklees, Leicester and Mendip. The investigation includes an examination of the reasons why a participatory approach is being adopted, how the local authorities are engaging the public in Local Agenda 21 (the levels, methods and scope of participation) and how effective their approaches have been. The research reveals that a variety of participatory methods and techniques are being employed at various scales. The three authorities emphasize a listening and open approach to the decision-making process, but despite their commitment to participation there had been limited success in securing widespread involvement of people, and especially disadvantaged groups, in the process. Key issues to emerge are the importance of the commitment of key elected representatives and the need for participation to be an ongoing commitment with a preparedness to begin with 'where people are at' rather than to set aspirations too high. The implications are that change is needed in the way local authorities relate to the communities they serve, but this will place considerable demands on already stretched local authority resources, particularly where positive action is needed to 'build capacity'. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.