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Guidance

Digital community engagement toolkit for planning consultations

Published 10 June 2026

© Crown copyright 2026

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/digital-community-engagement-toolkit-for-planning-consultations/digital-community-engagement-toolkit-for-planning-consultations

Who this toolkit is for

This toolkit is for local planning authorities (LPAs) and other planning authorities that want to use digital tools and approaches to support planning consultations and community engagement.

It is written for planning officers, project managers, digital specialists, communications teams and other council colleagues involved in planning engagement.

What you can do with this toolkit

This toolkit sets out steps to plan, deliver and review a digital community engagement project. It will help you:

  • plan and manage a digital engagement project
  • work with colleagues across planning, communications, digital and procurement teams
  • decide whether digital tools or external suppliers could support your project
  • design and deliver digital engagement activities
  • analyse consultation responses and share findings

What this toolkit does not cover

This toolkit does not replace statutory planning guidance or statutory requirements for planning consultation and local plan preparation.

It can be used alongside the draft guidance for engaging the public when preparing a local plan.

Councils are not required to use digital tools or external suppliers to carry out planning consultations.

This toolkit includes links to external websites and resources to help users find relevant information. Inclusion of these links does not imply government endorsement of any organisation, product or service.

Using digital tools in planning consultations

Digital tools can help councils run planning consultations more effectively. They can improve how proposals are presented, support wider participation and help teams manage consultation responses more efficiently.

Digital platforms can make complex planning information easier for residents to explore and help councils analyse structured feedback more quickly.

Digital engagement works best alongside traditional approaches such as exhibitions, drop-ins and community meetings.

Throughout this toolkit, you will find links to case studies from councils that took part in the PropTech Innovation Fund. These show how councils piloted digital tools in planning consultations.

You can view all of these case studies together on the guidance page for using community engagement platforms in planning consultations.

Using this toolkit

You can use this toolkit in different ways depending on your needs.

You can:

  • follow the stages from start to finish when planning a new digital engagement project
  • go directly to the stage that matches where you are in your project

You may already have an engagement strategy, governance structure or consultation platform in place. In these cases, the toolkit can help refine or improve existing processes.

The stages reflect common activities involved in planning digital engagement. In practice they may happen at different times or in a different order, and not every project will require new tools or suppliers.

If you have feedback on this toolkit, you can complete the feedback form.

Stages in the process

This toolkit has 7 stages:

  1. Define your project and secure support.
  2. Set up your project team and ways of working.
  3. Procure and onboard suppliers.
  4. Plan your engagement and communications.
  5. Build and test your consultation.
  6. Launch and monitor the consultation.
  7. Review your results and respond.

Each stage includes practical steps and case studies from councils that have piloted digital engagement tools.

Stage 1: Define your project and secure support

Define the purpose of the engagement and secure internal approval.

Understand your starting point

Before developing a business case, review what already exists within your council.

You may already have:

  • an engagement strategy developed as part of local plan preparation
  • a consultation platform used by communications or engagement teams
  • existing supplier contracts or framework tools used for surveys, mapping or digital engagement

Understanding what already exists will help you decide if you need new tools.

Define your project mission

A project mission helps people understand what you want to achieve and why. It should describe the purpose of the engagement, the role of digital tools and the outcomes you want to achieve.

Run a short workshop to help shape this. Depending on your project, you may want to involve planning officers, digital or IT colleagues, communications teams and project managers. In some cases, involving community or youth groups early can also help test assumptions.

Develop a business case

A business case explains why a project is needed and how it will deliver value. Many councils use the five-case model in HM Treasury’s guide to developing a project business case.

A good business case should:

  • explain the problem you are trying to solve
  • show how the project aligns with local and national priorities
  • outline the public value it will deliver
  • show how the project is affordable and fundable
  • demonstrate that you can deliver it within the planned timeframe

You can find information on approaches to business cases for planning technology in the Digital Planning Directory’s Procurement Hub.

Plan time for approvals

Approvals for digital engagement projects often take longer than you expect.

At this stage it helps to understand:

  • who needs to approve the project and at what points
  • what evidence or reassurance decision-makers will expect
  • how long governance, procurement and assurance steps usually take

You may need sign-off from several groups, such as service leads, digital or IT teams, procurement, information governance, legal teams or elected members. Each group may focus on different risks, such as data protection, accessibility or value for money.

Build time into your project for questions, iterations and informal conversations. Early engagement with approvers can help prevent delays later in procurement or delivery.

The Procurement Pathway explains how public sector teams plan, define, procure and manage services. The Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) Playbook sets expectations for managing digital and technology projects.

Demonstrate the value of digital engagement

Decision-makers are more likely to support digital engagement when they can see clear benefits.

Be ready to explain how digital approaches can help reach more people, improve the quality of feedback, support accessibility and inclusion, and reduce manual effort for planning teams.

Tools such as the PropTech Benefits Calculator can help you articulate expected benefits in a structured way, particularly when comparing digital approaches with traditional methods.

Case studies from other local planning authorities can help address concerns about risk and show how digital engagement has supported real planning decisions.

Case studies

Read how councils used digital engagement platforms to improve participation or reduce processing time:

Stage 2: Set up your project team and ways of working

Create a cross-council team and agree governance and responsibilities.

Set up an internal project team

Create a cross-council team with the skills needed to plan, design and deliver your project.

The exact composition will vary between organisations, but may include planning officers, communications and engagement teams, digital or IT colleagues, data and GIS (geographic information system) specialists, procurement or legal teams, and project or service managers.

Be prepared to adjust the composition of your team as the project progresses. Some roles may only be needed at specific stages.

Skills to support your project

Local planning authorities involved in the PropTech Innovation Fund identified the following skills as relevant when delivering digital community engagement projects. Some projects may require additional or more specialist expertise.

  • ICT – to identify technical constraints and data security requirements
  • Communications – to support messaging and campaign delivery
  • Procurement – to advise on routes to market and contract requirements for new tools
  • Legal – to advise on statutory duties, contracts and compliance
  • Data protection – to advise on GDPR requirements and the handling of personal data
  • Data analysis – to support interpretation of engagement results
  • GIS – to design and present spatial data
  • Resident engagement teams – to provide insight into local communities and offline engagement activity

Share this toolkit with colleagues to build a shared understanding of the process.

Agree how the project will be managed

Set clear expectations for how the project will run. This includes agreeing responsibilities, decision-making arrangements, meeting frequency and how you will record progress, risks and issues.

Project management tools can help organise work and share updates. Clear planning and regular communication help reduce duplication, keep work in scope and maintain momentum.

Set objectives and baseline data

Define what you want your engagement activity to achieve. Objectives should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time bound.

Before the project starts, collect baseline information such as current engagement levels, response rates or existing datasets. This provides a reference point for assessing progress and impact.

Set up governance and reporting

Decide how you will report progress, who needs updates and how often. Consider how the project connects with other council work and existing governance structures, and who needs oversight at each stage.

Digital engagement projects often involve several teams. Agreeing reporting and escalation routes early can help avoid delays later.

Set up a simple risk register and review it regularly.

Stage 3: Procure and onboard suppliers

Identify the support needed and procure digital tools or services.

Decide what you need from a supplier

Before engaging procurement teams or suppliers, be clear about the support you need and the outcomes you want to achieve.

Consider the type of consultation, target audience, budget, timelines, accessibility and technical requirements, and your internal capacity. This will help you decide whether you need a platform, specialist support or both.

Digital engagement platforms should:

Your procurement, IT and information governance teams can advise how these requirements apply locally.

The Planning Advisory Service (PAS) publishes guidance on data protection, data, GIS and benchmarking. Early discussions about data protection can help prevent delays and inform platform setup, privacy notices and survey design.

Engage procurement early

Once you have a clear view of your requirements, speak to your procurement team. They can advise on approved frameworks, routes to market, thresholds and local procurement requirements.

The Procurement Pathway describes the stages public sector teams follow when planning, procuring and managing services. Use it as a reference point when shaping your approach.

You can also refer to the Digital Planning Directory Procurement Hub, which brings together guidance on procurement stages for planning technology.

Write a clear project brief

A project brief helps suppliers understand the problem you are trying to solve and the outcomes you want to achieve.

It should set out the objectives, target audiences, scope, timelines, expected deliverables, and any accessibility, data or reporting requirements.

Define how you will measure success. This may include engagement targets or metrics the supplier will be expected to support.

Supplier onboarding

Create a structured onboarding process for your chosen supplier. This may include agreeing roles and responsibilities, timelines, kick-off meetings, data-sharing arrangements and sessions to align ways of working.

Clear onboarding helps teams work together effectively from the start.

Agree how progress will be monitored

Before delivery begins, agree how progress will be monitored and reported. This may include key performance indicators, reporting frequency, data collection expectations and escalation routes.

Choose metrics that align with your objectives and baseline information. These might include engagement levels, response quality, platform analytics and accessibility performance.

Monitor user experience and accessibility carefully, as both affect participation and the quality of feedback.

Stage 4: Plan your engagement and communications

Develop your communications plan and identify audiences and channels.

Develop your engagement strategy

Your engagement strategy should explain who you need to reach, what you want them to understand or do, and how success will be measured.

Start by defining your audience. Be clear about who you need to hear from and why. This may include residents affected by a proposal, statutory consultees, businesses or young people.

Use existing evidence to inform your approach. This might include previous consultation data, demographic information or insight from resident engagement teams.

Set clear measures of success. For example, you may want to increase participation from certain groups, improve response quality or achieve better geographic coverage.

Create a communications plan

A communications plan supports your engagement strategy. It sets out how you will raise awareness and encourage people to take part.

Work with communications colleagues early. They can help shape messages, plan activity and ensure accessibility.

Your communications plan should cover:

  • important messages
  • target audiences
  • channels you will use
  • timing and milestones
  • who is responsible for each activity
  • how you will monitor and adapt activity

Your communications plan should also make full use of the features available in your digital consultation tool. For example, you might promote interactive maps, quick polls or themed questions to encourage participation.

Plan communications across the whole consultation period. This usually includes advance notice, launch activity, reminders and updates, and an explanation of what happens next.

Monitor participation during the consultation so you can adjust messaging or target under-represented groups.

Choose your channels, including hybrid approaches

Choose channels based on how your audience prefers to receive information.

You may already use:

  • public notices
  • newsletters or emails
  • in-person drop-ins
  • exhibitions
  • workshops
  • community meetings

Continue to use approaches that work in your area. Digital tools should strengthen your existing engagement.

In-person engagement remains important for people who may not access digital tools. Digital platforms can support this by capturing responses more efficiently and helping you monitor participation.

Case study

Read how a council combined digital tools with in-person activity:

Use social media

Social media can raise awareness and direct people to your consultation platform. It allows you to promote important messages, share updates and reach audiences who may not respond to traditional methods.

Many local planning authorities already use social media channels. During consultations you can use it to:

  • promote launch and reminder messages
  • target specific geographic areas
  • reach under-represented groups
  • share visual content such as maps or short videos

Some councils use paid social media advertising to increase reach and response rates. Paid campaigns can target specific audiences and drive traffic to your engagement platform.

Before committing to paid activity, speak to your communications team. They can advise on budgets, targeting options, approval processes and how activity aligns with wider council communications.

Monitor performance during the consultation and adjust messaging where needed.

Plan your channel mix with inclusion in mind. Offering more than one way to participate increases accessibility.

Case study

Read how councils used social media and targeted digital promotion to increase participation:

Read the Social Media Playbook from the Government Digital Service for guidance on planning and delivering effective social media activity.

Engage young people

If young people are an important audience, involve communications, data and safeguarding colleagues early.

Young people may prefer workshop-style or in-person engagement. Working with schools, youth groups or community organisations can increase participation.

You may want to:

  • run sessions in schools or youth centres
  • attend existing community groups
  • identify youth advocates who can share information with peers

Make sure activity follows safeguarding and data protection requirements.

Plan for inclusion and accessibility

Consider inclusion and accessibility from the start.

Think about barriers to participation such as language, digital confidence, disability or transport.

You may need to provide translated materials, alternative formats or additional support at in-person events. Community organisations may also help reach groups who are less likely to engage.

Planning for inclusion early helps avoid reactive changes later.

Create a clear and consistent visual identity

A consistent visual identity helps people recognise your consultation and understand that it is official.

This is particularly important if you are using multiple channels over several weeks.

Work with communications colleagues to:

  • develop a simple and recognisable visual style
  • use consistent headings, colours and branding
  • create templates for digital and printed materials
  • ensure all materials meet accessibility requirements

Consistency across webpages, social media, printed materials and event displays reinforces awareness and builds trust.

Case study

Read how a council used visual design to help residents recognise and navigate a consultation:

Stage 5: Build and test your consultation

Create the consultation platform and test content and accessibility.

Design your digital tools and content

Design your digital tools around user tasks. Avoid copying paper materials directly into an online format without adapting them.

When designing tools and content:

  • keep navigation simple
  • make sure the layout works well on mobile devices
  • use clear, concise language
  • break content into manageable sections
  • explain technical terms where needed

Focus on helping users understand what the consultation is about and what they need to do.

Case study

Read how a council structured digital consultation content to make it easier to use:

Present complex planning information clearly

Local plan consultations often involve complex technical information, such as evidence documents, site assessments, policy wording and design guidance. This can make proposals difficult for residents and stakeholders to understand.

Digital tools can help present this information more clearly. Use summaries, maps and visual explanations to help people explore proposals and provide feedback.

To make planning information easier to understand:

  • write short summaries in plain language before linking to detailed documents
  • organise consultations into clear themes or topics
  • use interactive maps to show where policies or proposals apply
  • include diagrams, graphics or short videos to explain ideas
  • provide clear navigation between information and consultation questions

Make full technical documents available for people who want to review detailed evidence.

Case studies

Read how councils used visual and map-based tools to explain complex planning information:

Apply accessibility standards

Digital engagement should be be accessible. Follow recognised accessibility standards such as Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and ensure content works with assistive technologies.

Check that:

  • text is readable and clearly structured
  • colour contrast meets accessibility requirements
  • images have meaningful descriptions or alternative text
  • interactive features are keyboard accessible
  • documents are accessible, not scanned PDFs

Build accessibility into the design process rather than adding it at the end.

Write and structure survey questions

Well-written questions help you collect meaningful and usable feedback.

Before drafting questions, confirm what information you need and how you will analyse it.

When writing survey questions:

  • provide short context before each section
  • use plain language
  • avoid leading or technical wording
  • ask one question at a time
  • combine closed and open questions where appropriate

Place demographic questions carefully. Asking sensitive questions too early can reduce completion rates. Many users are more comfortable sharing personal information once they understand the purpose of the consultation.

Keep surveys as short as possible while still meeting your objectives.

Case study

Read how a council tested different question formats and participation requirements:

Test with users

Test your tools and content before launch. Even testing with a small number of users can identify issues.

You might run short usability sessions, test with colleagues outside the project team, speak to community representatives or gather feedback during a soft launch. The aim is to understand how people experience your consultation before it goes live.

During testing, check whether users:

  • understand the purpose of the consultation
  • can navigate the platform easily
  • understand the questions being asked
  • encounter any accessibility barriers

Use the findings to refine the content and structure before launch.

Refine and prepare for launch

After testing, make improvements and confirm that:

  • content is accurate and up to date
  • accessibility checks are done
  • data protection requirements are in place
  • roles and responsibilities for monitoring are clear

Once these checks are complete, you are ready to launch your engagement activity.

Stage 6: Launch and monitor the consultation

Promote the consultation and monitor participation while it is live.

Promote the launch

Use your communications plan to coordinate the launch and make sure people know when the consultation opens and how they can take part.

You may want to:

  • host an online or in-person launch event
  • use existing council channels, such as newsletters, social media or websites
  • share information through local networks and community groups
  • use in-person events to raise awareness of digital tools

Use online channels to promote in-person activity, and use in-person activity to guide people towards digital tools.

Capture consultation responses and operational feedback

During the consultation, you will collect formal consultation responses. These are the structured answers to your survey or questions and form part of the official consultation record.

You should also monitor operational feedback, such as comments or issues about:

  • how easy the platform is to use
  • technical problems
  • accessibility barriers
  • unclear wording or missing information

Analyse consultation responses as part of formal reporting. Operational feedback can help improve the experience while the consultation is live.

Monitor engagement in real time

Use analytics and platform data to track participation while the consultation is open.

This may include:

  • response rates
  • page views or platform activity
  • demographic reach, where appropriate
  • patterns or emerging themes
  • questions or areas of confusion

Monitoring engagement allows you to adjust messaging, channels or timing where needed. If participation drops, review your communications plan, channels and messaging. Small changes can help improve engagement.

Case study

Read how a council used live data to monitor who was taking part:

Make iterative improvements

You may be able to improve digital tools during the consultation where appropriate.

You may need to adjust question wording for clarity, add missing context or explanations, improve navigation within your digital tool, or refine how you promote the engagement.

Make changes carefully to maintain the integrity of the consultation while improving the user experience.

Stage 7: Review your results and respond

Analyse responses and share findings and next steps.

Analyse results and prepare findings

Bring together all information you collected during the engagement. This may include:

  • quantitative data, such as response numbers and participation rates
  • qualitative feedback, such as comments and themes
  • notes from in-person events
  • demographic information, where appropriate

Distinguish between:

  • formal consultation responses, which form part of the official record
  • operational feedback collected during delivery, which may highlight usability or accessibility issues

Analyse responses against your objectives and measures of success. Consider whether you reached your intended audiences and whether participation reflects your local population.

Use visual summaries, such as charts or tables, to present findings clearly for colleagues and decision-makers.

Use digital tools and AI to analyse responses

Consultations can generate large volumes of responses, particularly where residents provide free-text comments. Digital tools can help planning teams organise and review this feedback more efficiently.

Some digital engagement platforms include features that group similar comments, identify common themes or generate summaries of feedback.

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools can support this process by helping teams review large volumes of qualitative responses more quickly. They can assist with tasks such as tagging comments by theme, summarising feedback or identifying emerging patterns.

The Planning Inspectorate has shared guidance on using AI when handling evidence and casework.

You can find guidance and examples of how councils are exploring AI in local government through the Local Government Association AI Hub.

AI can support consultation analysis, but it should not replace professional judgement. Officers should always review results before drawing conclusions.

Case studies

Read how councils used digital tools and AI to process and analyse consultation responses:

Share findings and explain the impact

Work with communications colleagues to agree important messages and choose appropriate channels. Be transparent about what you heard and how you will use it. Avoid technical language where possible.

Local planning authorities are required to publish consultation summaries at key stages of local plan preparation. Alongside these requirements, consider publishing a short, accessible explanation of the outcomes to help participants understand the main themes raised and what will happen next.

Explain clearly:

  • changes made to proposals
  • decisions taken as a result of the consultation
  • areas where feedback led to further investigation
  • what will happen next and expected timescales

If you cannot take some suggestions forward, explain why. Clear explanations help maintain trust and credibility.

Continue to update participants where appropriate, especially if the project moves into a new phase.

Reflect and share learning

Hold a structured review with your project team and any partners involved.

Discuss:

  • what worked well
  • what caused delays or confusion
  • whether the communications plan was effective
  • whether you reached your intended audiences
  • how collaboration across teams worked

Review analytics alongside qualitative feedback to identify patterns. Document lessons learned and use them to improve future engagement.

Share insights with senior leaders, planning teams and other service areas. This might include presenting findings at internal forums or developing case studies for future projects.

Embedding learning across the organisation supports more consistent and effective engagement.

Lessons learned from other councils

Councils that took part in PropTech Innovation Fund pilots identified several common lessons from using digital tools in planning consultations.

Digital tools can improve participation and make consultations easier to manage. However, they work best when combined with clear planning, strong communications and inclusive engagement approaches.

Lessons include:

  • start with clear outcomes rather than choosing tools first
  • involve communications, digital and data specialists early in the project
  • combine digital engagement with in-person activity to reach a wider range of residents
  • present complex planning information clearly using summaries, maps and visual content
  • monitor participation during the consultation and adjust communications if engagement drops
  • test tools and content before launch to identify usability and accessibility issues
  • review results carefully and share findings openly to maintain trust in the planning process

These lessons informed the guidance and case studies you will find throughout this toolkit.

Useful resources

The resources below are referenced throughout this toolkit and provide additional guidance and tools to support digital community engagement in planning consultations.

Government and sector guidance

Planning technology and procurement resources

Case studies

These case studies are from councils that took part in PropTech Innovation Fund pilots, which tested digital tools in planning consultations.

Give feedback on this toolkit

If you have feedback on this toolkit or suggestions for improvement, you can complete the feedback form.

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