Governance Decision-Making Tool

Stakeholder engagement

Stakeholders are all the people who may have interests in, or are affected by, the decisions made in a designated area. These might include local residents, business owners, landowners, members of local government, and organisations such as NGOs and government agencies. When establishing or reviewing a governance structure, there is a need to ensure that a wide range of perspectives are represented, but also to ensure that decision-making processes are clear and effective. Exactly who is to represented within a governance structure will be influenced by the overall aims of the area, and also has important implications for the organisational structure.

Click in the following key questions to get information, practical examples and resources.

• What are our priorities as a designated area?

• How do our priorities influence who we need to engage?

• Who (or what type of organisations) should be represented on the board/steering group?

• How many people should be on the Board/steering group?

• Should there be other levels of governance beyond the board or steering group – for example, “thematic groups”?

• How often should the board meet, and how much should it be consulted with?

• What are the criteria for recruiting board members?

• What considerations are there with the geography of the region for involving the key stakeholder groups?

• How do we take account of and mediate between conflicting views?

• How can governance of our area be representative of people who are not on the board?

Further resources:

• Methods to identify stakeholder groups and interactions.
• Methods for regional stakeholder meetings.
• Methods to maintain engagement among regional stakeholder groups.