Powered by Westco and Centre for Consultation
Associates of the former Consultation Institute have joined forces as the Centre for Consultation and partnered with Westco to bring a full and comprehensive community engagement and consultation service to the sector. This team aims to bring continuity for its clients in providing expert advice in quality assurance, strategic advice and guidance, training and support for public consultation and to meet best practice standards.
Navigating the complexities of public consultation can be challenging, but with Westco on your team, you can be confident that your consultations will meet all legal requirements while genuinely connecting with your community. Whether you’re with the NHS, a local council, fire service, or police force, we’ll ensure your consultation captures the voices that matter most.
With decades of experience working across public services, we understand the specific challenges you face and provide tailored solutions that work.
From proposals to implementation plans, full-scale project delivery and everything in between, we manage every aspect of the process.
We ensure your consultations comply with Consultation Law as well as the Gunning Principles, safeguarding you from legal challenges.
We assess your consultation plans to ensure they’re compliant with legal standards and best practices, helping you avoid costly legal challenges.
Get advice before even deciding to consult
Make sure your plans are compliant
We empower your team with the knowledge and skills they need to conduct effective and legally sound consultations through expert training with Rhion Jones, the co-founder of the former Consultation Institute and leading UK expert in Consultation Law.
Rhion Jones, the co founder of the former Consultation Institute and leading UK expert in Consultation Law.
Rhion is one of the most experienced and authoritative specialists in public engagement anywhere, and alongside Elizabeth Gammell, wrote The Art of consultation in 2008 and The Politics of consultation in 2018. In 2003, he was co-founder of The Consultation Institute (TCI), served as its Programme Director until 2015 and then as Founder Director until 2022. He proposed, designed, supervised and secured the implementation of over 120 consultancy assignments for the Institute, mostly for clients organising public or stakeholder consultations and understands the challenges they face.
He has written extensively on all aspects of public engagement and consultation. These include over 600 Topic papers and over 80 blogs and commentaries under the Consultation GuRU identity which he has assumed in recent years (www.consultationguru.co.uk). Over the years Rhion has supervised the development of over 50 one-day training courses and personally delivered 500+ such courses. He devised five ‘management games’ (The ‘Bloombridge’ series) which were delivered over 250 times to over 3,000 trainees. Since 2007, he has specialised in the Law of Consultation, monitoring and publishing commentaries on several hundred High Court judgments. He has delivered authoritative briefings and training courses on this subject for public and in-house audiences over 120 times since. He works with Westco on a regular basis and provides it with advice and expertise as required.
Our qualitative and quantitative research services include polling, surveys, and focus groups, providing you with data-driven insights that inform decision-making.
From planning and promotion to execution and reporting, we handle all stages of your public consultation, ensuring a seamless, effective, and inclusive process.
Andy Wright
Andy provides quality assurance and peer review for public consultations, ensuring best practice and legal compliance. His experience spans public and voluntary sectors, supporting NHS bodies, local government, and emergency services. Andy is dedicated to maintaining the integrity and inclusivity of consultations.
Key Skills: Co-production, community engagement, peer review, quality assurance, stakeholder engagement, group facilitation.
Kathy Graham
Kathy is a dynamic and results-oriented leader with over 20 years of expertise in consultation, policy development, and stakeholder engagement. Her ability to navigate regulatory challenges, engage diverse stakeholders, and drive evidence-based decision-making makes her a key asset to CfC. Kathy provides strategic oversight, ensuring that consultations meet legal, ethical, and best practice standards.
Key Skills: Strategic consultation, stakeholder engagement, governance, policy advisory, change management, executive briefing and coaching.
Peter McColl
Peter is an expert in public consultation, specialising in survey design and data analysis. He has worked on major projects involving local authorities and the private sector, ensuring that consultations capture meaningful data. His expertise ensures the robustness and credibility of consultation findings.
Key Skills: Survey design, data analysis, consultation planning, stakeholder engagement.
Susan Ritchie
Susan is a seasoned facilitator with over 20 years of experience in public engagement and stakeholder consultations. She has worked extensively with NHS organisations, local authorities, and community groups, ensuring that differing viewpoints are respected in decision-making processes. Susan specialises in designing and facilitating workshops that drive consensus and clarity.
Key Skills: Group facilitation, options development, co-production, community stakeholder engagement, pre-engagement support with design and development.
Bruce Whitear
Bruce is a strategic change specialist with over 30 years of experience in the NHS and public sector. His expertise includes healthcare planning, partnership development, consultation governance and service evaluation. He ensures that consultations align with strategic objectives and drive actionable outcomes.
Key Skills: Strategic planning, service evaluation, stakeholder collaboration consultation and collaborative governance.
Mike Bartram
As Head of Consultation at Transport for London Mike wrote the organisation’s consultation policy and 300-page consultation toolkit and managed numerous consultations. He has subsequently advised NHS bodies on reorganisation, airports on flight path changes, local authorities on bus franchising and devolution, and fire and rescue authorities on their five-year risk management plans.
Key skills: consultation strategy, consultation law, risk analysis, questionnaire design, consultation documentation, opinion research design, and analysis and reporting of consultation findings.
The course offered valuable insights into the nuances of consultation law and was extremely interesting, engaging, and informative.
Rhion is not only knowledgeable and passionate, but also very approachable. He created a relaxed environment where participants felt comfortable asking questions and contributing to discussions.
I left the course feeling much more confident in my understanding of consultation law and how to apply it effectively in practice. I wouldn’t hesitate recommending it to others working in consultation.
Tom Wilsenham Research & Consultation Team BCP Council
[fa icon="quote-right"]It was a really helpful exercise for me as someone who works on formal consultation projects for local government and also a lot of non-statutory and informal engagement in the private sector. I now understand the clear differences, and the body of knowledge, law, custom and practice that underpins them.
Kevin Rye Kevin Rye Consulting
[fa icon="quote-right"]I attended the Westco Law of Consultation course as I was keen to ensure my skills and knowledge were up to date to protect my and Westco’s clients. The course delivered more than I had hoped for. Rhion brought to life the Gunning Principles in a fun and informative way, drawing on his extensive experience and use of case law. I came away from the event feeling empowered and confident to advise and challenge. Thank you for inviting me along - it was awesome.
Holly Bremner HB Comms
[fa icon="quote-right"]We engaged Westco to lead our statutory consultation on bus franchising. Westco’s approach was collaborative, strategic, and demonstrated deep expertise in public engagement and consultation.
From the outset, Westco ensured fairness, transparency, and inclusivity. Their approach was comprehensive including statutory and non-statutory events, protected characteristics focus groups, pop up community engagement across the region, survey design, digital marketing and report writing.
Their approach resonated across diverse audiences, enhancing understanding and participation. The targeted stakeholder segmentation included protected characteristics ensuring all parts of the community were engaged.
The digital outreach strategy exceeded our expectations, delivering impressive interaction rates including 50,000 unique website visitors and extensive social media interactions beyond our initial targets.
Continuous monitoring and agile adjustments by Westco throughout the consultation maximised effectiveness and efficiency. Their detailed analysis, combining qualitative and quantitative insights, significantly informed our approach and decision making.
Westco’s professionalism, insight, and commitment delivered exemplary outcomes. We highly recommend their expert consultation services for any organization seeking meaningful and inclusive public engagement.
Edward Colman Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA)
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Westco successfully delivered a comprehensive residents survey and focus groups project for a Council, focusing on communications. The project aimed to gather valuable insights from residents to inform future communication strategies and improve public services.
An Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner (OPCC) faced a significant challenge in maintaining the level of policing amidst budget constraints. Westco was commissioned to run a comprehensive consultation exercise with the public.
Westco conducted a comprehensive SEND Strategy Consultation undertaken by a Council and health partners to gather feedback on its draft Local Area SEND Strategy.
