Regulatory, statutory and public consultation
Citizen Space is used by over 600 government organisations worldwide, including six UK ministerial departments, national regulators, devolved governments, and hundreds of local authorities. When a consultation is going to attract scrutiny, public attention, or potential legal challenge, that track record matters.
Run consultations that are legally sound, genuinely inclusive, and easy to manage
Statutory and regulatory consultation carries real weight. The decisions that follow affect people's lives, and the process itself is often subject to legal scrutiny. Getting it right matters, and that means having a platform that was built for it.
Citizen Space has been developed in partnership with government, and is trusted by regulators, local authorities, central government departments, and public bodies across the UK to run consultations that meet their legal obligations and hold up to challenge.
Built to scale, tested under pressure
Some consultations attract hundreds of responses. Others attract tens of thousands. Citizen Space has been used on some of the most high-profile consultations run in the UK, including national inquiries and major legislative changes, and the platform handles volume without compromising on the experience for respondents or administrators.
Whether you're a local authority running your annual programme of statutory consultations or a national regulator consulting on a significant rule change, the platform works the same way. Templates for common consultation types mean recurring processes are faster to build without cutting corners on compliance.
Citizen space has proved itself to be very useful tool for both small scale engagement and national consultations. It’s easy to use, intuitive system allows us to present information in a sensible format and extracts succinct quantitative information to inform the development of our work.
The process matters as much as the outcome
Statutory consultation isn't just about collecting opinions. There are legal requirements to meet, consultees to notify, documents to publish, and a clear record to maintain of what you asked, who responded, and what you did with what you heard. A consultation that can't demonstrate all of that is a liability.
Citizen Space is designed around this reality. Responses are collected and stored securely. You can publish your analysis and close the loop with respondents through the We Asked, You Said, We Did function, demonstrating transparency at every stage.
- Interactive response forms: Improve engagement rates with interactive elements, like geospatial mapping, that encourage participatory democracy.
- Attractive survey design: Skip logic and differing input types allow you to get as much feedback on public or stakeholder sentiment as needed.
- Detailed feedback: Qualitative and quantitative results provide in-depth, structured analysis.
- Response publishing: Ensure transparency by sharing information with the public via "We Asked, You Said, We Did.”
Complex proposals, made easier to respond to
The quality of your responses depends on how well people understand what they're being asked about. Dense policy documents and technical proposals are hard to engage with, and low-quality responses make analysis harder.
Citizen Space lets you present complex information clearly, breaking proposals into sections, embedding supporting documents, maps, and rich media directly in the consultation. Respondents get the context they need before they answer, which means you get more considered, useful responses in return.
Regulatory reviews and rule changes
Regulators use Citizen Space to consult on proposed changes to industry rules, professional standards, licensing requirements, and enforcement guidance. The platform handles both technical stakeholder consultation and wider public input on the same proposal.
Environmental and planning permits
Local authorities and environmental regulators run consultations on permit applications for everything from waste facilities to major developments. With the option to add custom-built templates and speed up recurring permit types whilst maintaining statutory requirements.
Legislative consultation
Central government departments use Citizen Space to consult on proposed legislation, policy changes, and statutory guidance. The platform scales to handle tens of thousands of responses on high-profile consultations.
Local authority statutory duties
From licensing policies to planning documents, councils use Citizen Space for the dozens of consultations they're required to run each year. Templates ensure consistency whilst allowing customisation for each topic.
Transport and highways orders
Traffic Regulation Orders, Compulsory Purchase Orders, and other statutory notices run on Citizen Space with full audit trails for potential legal challenge. Digital TRO templates meet Department for Transport requirements.
Public service changes
Health bodies, police and crime commissioners, and other public authorities consult on service changes, strategic plans, and resource allocation decisions that require public input.
How statutory consultation works on Citizen Space
1. Publish your proposal: Upload consultation documents, impact assessments, technical reports, and explanatory materials. Break complex information into clear sections that work on mobile devices.
2. Build your consultation: Choose from templates for common consultation types or build from scratch. Add the response format that works for your decision-making—structured questions, open feedback, or both.
3. Gather responses: People respond without creating accounts or logging in. The platform handles accessibility requirements, records full audit trails, and manages your statutory consultee list alongside public responses.
4. Analyse and report: Filter responses by consultee type, question, or theme. Export for your decision report. Publish your analysis to show how you've considered what people said.
5. Close the loop: Publish responses and inform the public on any outcomes. Transparent publication of responses show that your consultation met legal requirements. Essential if decisions face challenge.
Why government trusts Citizen Space for online consultations
- Legal compliance: Meet legislative and statutory requirements across the consultation process.
- Complex information made clear: Simplified, interactive and visual material make difficult processes simple to understand.
- Improved stakeholder and public input: Reach a broader audience and gather meaningful feedback based on interactive engagement with the consultation process.
- Centralised management: See all data and feedback in one, centralised admin dashboard.
- Accessible and inclusive: WCAG 2.2 AA compliant and mobile-ready, improving demographic reach of your consultation.
See why Citizen Space is best in class for statutory consultation
Book a demo and we'll talk through your specific statutory obligations. From regulatory reviews to local authority consultations, and legislative engagement, get in touch to see show Citizen Space fits your compliance requirements and workflows.
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