The Ballyhoura Community Inclusion Toolkit is featured as a best practice resource for communities in the new national 'Guide for Inclusive Community Engagement in Local Planning and Decision Making’. 

The guide, launched by Minister of State with responsibility for Community Development, Integration and Charities, Joe O’Brien TD, is aimed at ensuring that the most marginalised and disadvantaged communities have opportunities to engage and participate in local planning and decision-making. Such inclusive engagement will ensure that their perspectives are reflected in the decisions which affect them and will facilitate more inclusive measures to support sustainable development at a local level.

Speaking at the launch, Minister Joe O’Brien said: "This community engagement resource guide will help renew and strengthen engagement with marginalised groups by local decision making bodies, and ensure better outcomes for all members of our communities. The voice of all members of our communities must be present in the design, implementation and review of decisions that impact on all of our lives – inclusive consultation and meaningful engagement are key to this. This is particularly important as our society grows and changes. I would encourage anyone involved in developing policy, leading consultations or making decisions that affect communities to use this guide. Ultimately, the best decisions are those which are made together, with the opportunity for everyone to share their perspective.”

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The Ballyhoura Development Community Inclusion Toolkit is available here:

The Ballyhoura Development Community Inclusion Toolkit

 

The Guide for Inclusive Community Engagement in Local Planning and Decision Making is available here:

The Guide for Inclusive Community Engagement in Local Planning and Decision Making