Keighley and Shipley collectively secured nearly £60m of funding from the Government’s Towns Fund. We were appointed to undertake consultation and engagement activity in both towns to generate awareness of the award and gather feedback on how projects identified for funding could best deliver against community priorities. The feedback helped to shape business cases for each project, in line with Government guidelines.

Key requirements

• Comprehensive stakeholder mapping to understand the complex mix of stakeholders and communities within each town
• Stakeholder engagement to build trust within each community and complement existing activity
• Development, management and hosting of “Our Town” Shipley and Keighley websites, bespoke to each town
• Development of on- and off-line communications materials, sharing complex information about the Towns Fund and individual projects in an accessible, engaging format
• Preparation and delivery of a series of community exhibitions across both towns
• Production of engaging exhibition collateral to showcase each towns’ projects and facilitate feedback

Development and delivery of comprehensive consultation and engagement strategies within strict timescales and budget

Using our local knowledge and research into local communities, we developed and delivered a programme of consultation and engagement to meet the specific needs of local communities. Residents and stakeholders were invited to have their say on the proposed Towns Fund projects through a combination of digital and face-to-face engagement to give as many people as possible chance to participate while also making best use of available budget and timescales.

We created a project website for each town which acted as the hub for consultation, engagement and information-sharing in each town. The websites provided information about the benefits of the proposed projects in accessible language. People were able to share views on the projects using a simple feedback form and an interactive map.

To broaden awareness and maximise engagement among those who may not have access to the internet, we developed leaflets about the consultations to over 22,000 homes and businesses in Keighley and 10,000 properties in Shipley. The leaflet also acted as an invitation to a series of community events held in accessible, popular local venues, which we organised and led, working in partnership with the Council and local partners within each town.

• 32,000 residents and business owners made aware of the consultation through leaflet drops in both Keighley and Shipley
• 2,953 people informed about the Towns Fund projects through visit to the two websites
• Six community events held, three in Shipley and three in Keighley
• Feedback replies from a broad range of stakeholders, community groups and residents

Trust built in the community and strong relationships developed with local organisations to support future delivery of both the projects and ongoing engagement.

The bids were successful.