Public Sector Initiatives & Contracts

Northamptonshire County Council has started a major engagement programme with its local residents. Launched as ‘You Choose’, the campaign aims to engage with residents throughout the county to gain their views on the future of council services, which will in turn impact on decisions made about council spending in the future.

As part of the campaign, the council has created a microsite where members of the public can upload their comments and photos. Answering the question, “This is your county: what is most important to you?” local residents can feedback on which council services are most valuable to them.

The microsite is also linked to popular online channels such as Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and regional blogs and forums. In order to access existing organisations and online and offline communities, the council has produced a free downloadable toolkit so that organisations can participate in the project by holding their own mini debate. Since its launch the microsite has attracted over 7,500 page views.

Cllr Jim Harker, leader of Northamptonshire County Council, said: “It is no secret that we are facing unprecedented financial challenges, with estimates that by 2014 we will need to save at least £100 million. This challenge is a very real opportunity for us to reshape our services, based around the principle of helping people help themselves.

“To do this, it is extremely important that we consult people from across the county to find out what they want from the services we provide. It is their council tax, and it is the residents of Northamptonshire who use these services, so it is only right that they should help decide what we prioritise and focus on. We are launching this campaign to ensure that the residents of Northamptonshire receive the great value services they want and deserve – and we welcome as much feedback as possible.”

To launch You Choose, the county council took photos of members of the public from across Northamptonshire, which were used by local artist Daxa Parmar to create a photomosaic of a hero, inspired by local graphic novelist Alan Moore, the creator of Watchmen and V for Vendetta. The photomosaic is on display the Royal & Derngate Theatre in Northampton.

The images will also feature on an A-board lorry, which will tour all seven district and boroughs in Northamptonshire in March with councillors and members of staff from the council. Members of the public will be able to share their opinions with the county council face-to-face, or by filling in comment cards, providing their views on ‘writing walls’ or filming comments in video cubes.

To find out more about You Choose, visit www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/youchoose