Our residents’ views on the services we provide are represented through locally elected Councillors and decisions are made in accordance with our constitution.

Consultation is an activity which has a clear beginning and end and aims to seek views from people. In the current public spending climate, we face extremely difficult decisions about the future of the services we provide, so need to take them with the public interest in mind. Before making these decisions, it is important we seek information and views from the public.

We undertake consultations so that people who live and work in Teignbridge can have a say, influence and be assured that their views have been considered as part of the decision making process. The consultation activities will always have a clear beginning and end date. We will always try to engage with our stakeholders to the best of our ability to gather views on our proposals, policies and, when making any changes, to the services we deliver.

We will give due consideration to the views expressed in responses to consultations, but these views must be weighed against other relevant considerations in order to reach a balanced decision. This means that we cannot necessarily commit to following the wishes expressed in response to a consultation as other factors such as legislation or available resources will also need to be considered.

Although we do not always need to hold a public consultation on all aspects of our work, we are committed to consulting on a proportionate and practical basis as appropriate for the potential impacts of proposed decisions. To help us get this right, we have adopted five consultation principles to inform when and how we will consult. These are underlying principles and complement any specific requirements that might already exist in law.