Local authorities · Councils · Public sector
Resident research councils can stand behind
Statutory consultation, co-production, and resident engagement research for local authorities and councils. We help you reach the residents who don't normally respond to a survey link, run a process that meets the Gunning Principles, and produce a report decision-makers and scrutiny committees can rely on.
Why councils choose us for resident research
Council consultations get challenged when the people most affected by a decision didn't get a meaningful chance to respond, or when the analysis can't show how feedback was actually considered. Both are research and process problems, and both are avoidable with the right approach from the start.
We design and run resident research that goes beyond a consultation portal: in-person sessions in community settings, work through trusted local organisations, and materials that are genuinely accessible. The result is a fuller picture of what residents think, and a process that holds up if it's ever questioned.
We work with officers across service areas, from adult social care and children's services to housing, transport, and regeneration, scoping each project to the decision being made and the timetable it sits within.
Research and engagement services for councils
From statutory consultation to ongoing co-production, we cover the methods councils need to evidence resident involvement.
Statutory consultation support
Designing and running consultations that meet statutory requirements and the Gunning Principles, with materials, fieldwork, and an analysis report that demonstrates due process from formative proposal through to final decision.
Co-production for service redesign
Working with residents and service users as partners in shaping a redesigned service, not just gathering views on a finished proposal. Iterative workshops that build shared ownership of what gets implemented.
Accessible and inclusive engagement
Reaching residents who are digitally excluded, have accessibility needs, or don't speak English as a first language. Translated materials, easy read formats, and in-person sessions in community venues residents already use.
Community focus groups and workshops
Structured group sessions to gather views on proposals, services, or local priorities, facilitated to surface a representative range of perspectives and recorded in a way that can feed directly into reports.
In-depth resident interviews
One-to-one conversations with residents whose circumstances or experiences are central to a proposal, useful for understanding impact in depth before a decision is taken, particularly where group settings would limit what people share.
Evaluation and outcomes research
Assessing how a service change has worked in practice, from the resident perspective, for scrutiny committees, overview boards, or post-implementation review against the original case for change.
Meeting the Gunning Principles
The legal test for a fair consultation, built into how we design and run every project.
Proposals at a formative stage
We get involved while a proposal is genuinely open to change, not after the decision has effectively been made. Engagement is designed early enough that resident input can shape the final proposal, not just be noted alongside it.
Sufficient information
Plain English materials, supporting evidence, and accessible alternative formats so residents understand what's being proposed, why, and what the realistic options are, before they're asked for a view.
Adequate time for response
Realistic timeframes for residents to consider proposals and respond, factoring in school holidays, community calendars, and the time needed to reach groups who engage less quickly with formal processes.
Conscientious consideration of feedback
An analysis that documents how each theme raised was considered and what, if anything, changed as a result, in a form that decision-makers, scrutiny committees, and a court can review if needed.
Who we work with
Across council structures and service areas, scoped to the decision in front of you.
Common questions
Does your research meet the Gunning Principles for consultation?
Yes. We design every consultation around the four Gunning Principles: proposals at a formative stage, sufficient information, adequate time to respond, and conscientious consideration of responses. We document each stage so the process can withstand scrutiny, including legal challenge if it arises.
How do you reach residents who don't have reliable internet access?
We don't rely solely on online surveys or consultation portals. We run in-person sessions in community venues, libraries, and other settings residents already use, work with community organisations and trusted intermediaries, and provide paper and translated materials where needed.
Do we need a consultation, or co-production?
It depends on how open the proposal still is. If decisions have already been made and you need views on a defined proposal, that's consultation. If you want residents involved in shaping the options themselves, that's co-production, and it needs to start earlier in the process. We can help you work out which fits your timeline and decision-making route.
How much does this cost?
Projects start from £5,500 for a focused consultation or engagement exercise with a written report. Larger programmes covering co-production, multiple sites, or ongoing resident involvement are scoped individually based on the scale of the change and the communities involved.
Are you on any procurement frameworks or supplier lists?
We work directly with councils and can also be engaged through standard procurement routes such as quotations and mini-competitions. If your authority requires suppliers to be on a specific framework, let us know early and we will confirm whether we can be added or work through an existing route.
What are typical timelines?
A focused consultation exercise, including design, fieldwork, analysis, and a report, typically takes four to eight weeks. Co-production processes and programmes involving multiple communities or ongoing panels run over a longer period, planned around your decision-making timetable.
Related reading
Co-production research
What co-production means in practice, how it differs from consultation, and how to set up a process that gives residents real influence over a service redesign.
Co-production researchParticipatory research
An overview of participatory approaches and where they fit alongside more traditional consultation methods for public sector decision-making.
Participatory researchInclusive research recruitment
How we recruit participants who reflect your whole resident population, including people who don't usually respond to surveys or consultations.
Inclusive recruitmentFocus groups and workshops
Structured facilitation methods for surfacing community views, testing proposals, and generating evidence that stands up to scrutiny.
Focus groups and workshopsIn-depth research
One-to-one interviews and diary studies for when you need depth, nuance, and the kind of insight that group settings don't surface.
In-depth researchWhat is public involvement?
A plain-English explanation of what meaningful public involvement looks like, drawn from health and care research but increasingly relevant to council services too.
What is public involvement?Where we work
We are based in West Yorkshire and deliver across the UK. Most of this work runs remotely; when a project calls for being in the room, we travel. See user research in Leeds and Yorkshire, or the full list of locations we cover.
We fully recognise the effort your team invested in recruitment, moderation, and analysis, and we genuinely appreciate the quality of the discussions and reporting.
- Usability problems in an insulin device surfaced before manufacturing locked anything in, with human factors evidence supporting the regulatory submission.
- An NHS patient portal team got a prioritised, evidenced list of adoption barriers, and the highest-leverage fix wasn't the one they expected.
- Patient involvement changed a trial's primary endpoint before the protocol was finalised, cited by the ethics committee as a model for evidencing PPIE.
Trusted PPI and PPIE delivery partner to the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Accelerated Surgical Care.
Planning a consultation or engagement programme?
Tell us about the proposal, the decision you're working towards, and the residents you need to reach. We will help you design an approach that holds up.
Start a conversationWe usually respond within one working day.
Prefer to talk it through first?
Book a free 20-minute call. No obligation, no sales pitch. We'll tell you honestly whether research is worth it for your decision, and what it would cost.