COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, February 11, 2019

QUESTION NO.11

QUESTION: Councillor F. Timmons

To ask the Chief Executive to review the consultation portal with communications department and look at any way of making it more user friendly and simple 

REPLY:

The consultation platform used for all Council consultations enable quality and informed interaction and feedback from the public. The system was selected for its particular facilities that facilitate ease of use, such as a one-off registration where the citizen can participate quicker and then keep track of all consultations that they have participated in and from a council point of view we can include the full range of documents including often complex maps or present a survey to get more meaningful, focused engagement from the public. Through the system the public have a more rounded view of the range of areas the Council consults on as all consultations that are currently live can be seen together. The system is also fully mobile friendly, accessible to visually impaired participants and multi-lingual to communicate with all citizens in South Dublin county.

Since the launch of South Dublin County Council’s online consultation portal in 2016, the Council has received 1,434 responses through the portal to consultations with a further 618 responses to public surveys, such as the Teen Facility Survey and €300k Have Your Say feedback survey. The Council does not only take in submissions through the online portal, as options of posted submissions are given for anyone not confident in their own digital skills to be able to use the online submission process.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the information provided is clear and accurate, it should be noted that there is a requirement that the Council include a level of technical detail in relevant consultations. For anyone who has difficulty with that level of detail, the Council operates a newly remodelled Planning counter in County Hall where members of the public can drop in, inspect proposed plans or housing developments and discuss with a member of staff of the relevant department (housing, planning, roads etc.) related to their query. The Council has also made efforts to make zoning and potential zoning information available to the public through a visual mapping format on www.MyDoorStep.ie, which can be accessed in County Hall, libraries or from a person’s own laptop, PC or mobile device. This mapping system also includes information on any new housing development in the County.

The Communications Unit continuously review the portal and monitor those of other local authorities to ensure best practice is maintained. Of note, many local authorities, such as Fingal County Council, Kilkenny County Council and Cork City Council operate consultation platforms using the same system South Dublin County Council does. The Communications Unit will continue to review how this information is delivered to the public and update the Council’s methods accordingly. If the Councillor has particular concerns on the use of the system it is suggested you communicate these directly to the Communications office.