Panels and partnership working

Encouraging involvement in local decision-making

As the ‘duty to involve’ local residents becomes an indispensable part of local democracy, innovative use of tools such as citizens’ panels will help consolidate the relationship between residents and councils.

Working with clients to promote effective panel research

we worked with Wakefield Metropolitan District Council, Derby City Council and Barnsley Metropolitan District Council to ensure local residents take an active role in panels

Since we know that improving response rates for panel surveys is a priority for local authorities, we worked with Wakefield Metropolitan District Council, Derby City Council and Barnsley Metropolitan District Council to ensure local residents take an active role in panels:

• Research conducted with Wakefield Panel Members led to the development of a Frequently Asked Questions sheet. This sheet gave panel members more information about the panel and its objectives, reducing queries both to Qa and to our clients. The FAQ sheet is now standard practice for every panel managed by Qa
• We have also provided non-responder research for clients such as Derby City Council and Barnsley Metropolitan District Council. The results have given our clients a better understanding of non-respondent behaviour and recommended ways to reengage them through the panel
• Residents now have more chances to become involved in panels, from quantitative methods such as postal and telephone research to qualitative methodologies such as focus groups and online forums
• Our weekly updates keep clients up to date with our progress, response rates and any actions for the week ahead

Making the most of panels

Our panel clients have access to a proven panel management research service which advises on all stages of the research, from suitable methodologies to questionnaire development and reporting. Combining innovation and experience gives our panel clients a flexible and robust service they can rely on.

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