You’re invited – effective community engagement webinar 1 Nov, 12 noon, by Energy Saving Trust plus special guest speakers

Effective community engagement is an essential part of achieving Net Zero.

And especially so when we need to change something in the street where people live, eg installing EV chargepoints.

Involving people in the decisions taken for their local area, before any decisions have been made, will

• mobilise local people’s good ideas (eg selecting locations for EV chargepoints that local residents are happy with)
• increase community acceptance of changes
• improve use of EV chargepoints once they are installed
• increase uptake of other low carbon travel and transport options eg active travel, public transport

 As we’ve seen in the media, the opposite is also true – decisions taken too quickly, and changes imposed on communities, but without engaging the community first, leads to strong, negative reactions from the community.

 All councils consult their communities from time to time. But community engagement is far more than doing a consultation exercise.

Yes, it is challenging, particularly when project timescales are tight. But the benefits are rewarding! This webinar will

• help you understand how to engage communities effectively
• identify the four types of external comms that councils typically choose from
• show the dangers of relying only on informing and consulting
• introduce some experts who will explain how to do community engagement
• feature some local authorities who are already engaging their communities effectively
• explain the free support that is available to help you take your next step

Building on work completed earlier this year on the Local Authority: Transport Decarbonisation Toolkit, Energy Saving Trust will be launching a new support element on community engagement later this year, and will be giving a preview of this free support in the webinar as well.