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Join our Citizens' Panel

What is the Citizens' Panel?

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The NPDC Citizens’ Panel is a representative sample of residents who give their views to the Council by completing questionnaires or taking part in focus groups or workshops.

Panel members take part in regular consultation about Council services to voice their suggestions and comments on:

How services can be improved.
Council planning, policy and strategy.
Proposals to change Council services.
Council spending and funding proposals.

Who sits on the panel?

The panel is broadly representative of the district and is demographically balanced (by age, gender and ethnicity). Panel members are generally over 18.

How will you seek my views?

We will seek your feedback in a variety of ways, which may include:

Questionnaires.
Surveys.
Focus groups.
Workshops.

These conversations may be face-to-face, by email, online or by telephone.

What will you ask my views on?

The consultation will be general, that is about the Council as a whole or it may be specific to a particular service or activity. We will only ask for your views on those issues that you tell us you are interested in.

Do I get paid?

If you take part in a workshop or focus group there is likely to be a small reimbursement for your time and costs. However, not all consultations will have this due to their small time commitment.

If I'm asked to take part in a consultation, do I have to?

No, being on the panel itself does not oblige you to take part in a consultation. For each topic or issue the Council wishes to gather views on a sample of the panel will be selected and invited to take part. You can opt out at any time.

How often will you contact me?

To date panel members have only been contacted once a year. You will not be asked to participate in a Council consultation more than four times a year.