A Consultative Solution
The Cabinet Office announced yesterday that it would be seeking extensive public input on the question of whether the public is being asked for too much input. The move comes after mounting criticism that British citizens are receiving consultation documents at a rate that would challenge even the most dedicated policy enthusiast.
"We've heard concerns that people are feeling overwhelmed by the number of opportunities we're providing for democratic engagement," explained Nigel Thornberry, Director of Consultation Coordination. "So naturally, we felt the most appropriate response was to consult on it."
The consultation document, which clocks in at a modest 247 pages, invites respondents to share their views on optimal consultation frequency, preferred consultation formats, and whether the current system of asking people what they think about asking people what they think represents value for money.
The Numbers Game
Government statistics reveal that the average British household now receives 3.7 consultation invitations per week, covering everything from local planning applications to national infrastructure projects to proposed changes in the methodology for calculating consultation response rates.
Mrs Jennifer Holbrook of Surbiton received the consultation on consultations on the same morning as invitations to comment on proposed changes to her local library opening hours, the national strategy for hedge maintenance, and a European Union directive on the standardisation of consultation font sizes (which the UK continues to implement despite having left the bloc, because "it would be rude not to finish what we started").
"I used to think civic engagement was important," Mrs Holbrook noted while sorting through her morning post. "Now I need a separate filing cabinet just for things the government wants my opinion on. I'm considering hiring a part-time consultant to help me respond to all the consultations."
Professional Consultation
The consultation industry has experienced unprecedented growth, with specialist firms now offering services ranging from "consultation response optimisation" to "stakeholder fatigue management." Pemberton & Associates, a boutique consultancy, has built its entire business model around helping organisations respond to the avalanche of consultation requests.
"We've had to develop sophisticated triage systems," explains senior partner Amanda Pemberton. "Our clients simply cannot respond meaningfully to every consultation they receive. We help them prioritise based on factors like deadline urgency, potential regulatory impact, and the likelihood that anyone will actually read the responses."
The firm has developed what it calls the "Consultation Fatigue Index," which measures the point at which additional requests for public input begin producing responses of steadily declining quality. Recent analysis suggests that most citizens reach peak consultation capacity somewhere around their seventh request for feedback in any given month.
Stakeholder Perspectives
The consultation has already attracted responses from a diverse range of stakeholders, many of whom noted the irony of being asked to participate in yet another consultation while expressing frustration about too many consultations.
The British Association of Consultation Professionals welcomed the initiative, describing it as "a much-needed opportunity to streamline the consultation process through robust consultation." The organisation's response, submitted within hours of the consultation's launch, ran to forty-three pages and included detailed appendices on optimal consultation timing and format.
Conversely, the Campaign for Consultation Simplification submitted a one-word response: "No."
Technical Challenges
The consultation has faced immediate technical difficulties, with the government's online response portal crashing within six hours of launch due to what officials described as "unprecedented engagement levels." IT specialists suggested the system may have been overwhelmed by citizens attempting to use the consultation to complain about the consultation system itself, creating what one expert called "a feedback loop of democratic participation."
Temporary paper forms have been made available, though these must be submitted through a separate consultation process designed to gather feedback on the effectiveness of paper-based consultation alternatives.
Parliamentary Interest
The House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee has announced its intention to launch an inquiry into the consultation on consultations, pending the results of their current investigation into whether parliamentary inquiries have become too numerous.
Committee chairman Sir Geoffrey Wickham noted that "Parliament has a vital role to play in scrutinising the government's approach to scrutiny," adding that the committee would be seeking public input on the most effective way to gather public input on the matter.
Implementation Timeline
The consultation will run for sixteen weeks, followed by an eight-week analysis period, a twelve-week stakeholder engagement phase, and a six-week final review process. Implementation of any resulting changes is projected for late 2026, assuming the findings don't require further consultation.
Mr Thornberry confirmed that the results would be published in full, pending a separate consultation on the most appropriate format for publishing consultation results. "We're committed to complete transparency about our transparency processes," he noted.
Looking Ahead
Early indicators suggest the consultation may recommend establishing a permanent Consultation Review Board, which would be responsible for regularly consulting on the effectiveness of the consultation review process. The Board would report annually to Parliament, though its recommendations would be subject to public consultation before implementation.
When asked whether this might perpetuate the very problem the consultation was designed to address, Mr Thornberry appeared genuinely puzzled by the question. "But how else would we know if people are happy with the changes unless we ask them?" he replied.
The consultation deadline is 23rd March 2024, though this may be extended pending the results of a supplementary consultation on whether sixteen weeks provides adequate time for meaningful consultation responses.
