Local Housing Strategy: guidance 2026

Engagement and consultation

The 2001 Act requires that local authorities consult on their LHS, and the statutory Equality Duty on public bodies requires the involvement, consultation and engagement of as wide a range of residents and tenants and communities of interest as possible.

The Scottish Government encourages local authorities to plan for and conduct early engagement to enable people to have a greater opportunity to understand the process and issues, have their say and influence the future of their communities, including the delivery of housing and housing related services. Argyll and Bute Council prepared a comprehensive consultation plan for its LHS.

Participation is an umbrella term used to describe how people get involved in decisions which affect or are important to them. Local authorities are encouraged to ensure that participation methods are designed with equality, equity and inclusivity at their core. Consideration should be given to different methods of participation including, amongst others:

• surveys
• public opinion polls
• qualitative interviews
• roadshows or public meetings
• social media
• focus groups
• workshops
• roundtables
• working groups

This should include consideration of engagement with protected groups or groups or individuals who are less able or likely to participate. This should also include children and young people who will also have an important contribution, given the long-term impacts of housing and housing related services. We encourage local authorities to consider publishing an easy read format of documentation for sharing with people.

The National Standards for Community Engagement are Scotland’s good practice principles designed to support and inform the process of community engagement and improve what happens as a result. They describe the main elements of effective community engagement and set out detailed performance statements that everyone involved can use to achieve the highest quality results and the greatest impact.

Local authorities may find it useful to draw on the National Standards for Community Engagement VOiCE software, designed to support the planning, delivery and review of well-constructed, managed and evaluated engagement.

It is important as part of the development of a LHS that local authorities conduct internal consultation with colleagues including Planning, Business and Economic Development, and Health and Social Care. Local authorities should also engage with community planning partnerships to ensure alignment with Local Outcomes Improvement Plans and Locality Plans.

Local authorities are encouraged to engage with Housing Market Partnerships, Regional Land Use Partnerships, or similar structures and partnership members when developing a LHS.

Summary of areas expected to be included in LHS

a. local authorities should evidence that there has been early and wide engagement with people and communities to inform the development of LHS priorities and outcomes. This should include information on the different methods used to engage, who was engaged with, including groups or individuals who are less able or likely to participate.

b. where local authorities have prepared a consultation report on engagement and consultation, a weblink to this should be included in the LHS and a copy published alongside it. We would expect any such report to include information on which stakeholders have been engaged with, the different methods used to consult (for example in person events, media awareness), together with a short summary of the findings.

c. local authorities should include a short summary in a LHS explaining how engagement has helped inform the development of priorities and outcomes in a LHS.

d. local authorities should include a short summary explaining how findings from impact assessments have helped inform the development of LHS priorities and outcomes.