How to engage the public in decisions on infrastructure

Institute for Government

Engaging the public on infrastructure decisions helps ensure projects meet the needs of local communities, builds public trust and makes successful delivery more likely. Getting it wrong can result in costly delays to much-needed infrastructure – whether transport, energy or digital projects. But by international standards, the UK is poor at engaging with the public and local communities on major infrastructure projects. Efforts to improve infrastructure decision making have focused on streamlining processes and avoiding public challenge, rather than engaging citizens in constructive dialogue. This event looked at how public engagement can be done differently. Drawing on examples from overseas and innovation in other sectors in the UK, the discussion explored how the Government can improve the way it involves the public in decisions on infrastructure. Our panel included: Philip Graham, Chief Executive of the National Infrastructure Commission Sir Andrew Dillon, Chief Executive of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Stella Creasy, MP for Walthamstow and former Deputy Director of Involve Ben Page, Chief Executive of Ipsos Mori. The conversation was chaired by Emma Norris, Director of Research at the Institute for Government. This was followed by a Q&A session with the audience. We would like to thank the Association for Project Management for supporting this event.