# 21 May 2026 Highland Council approves new engagement strategy to put communities at the heart of decision-making

21st May 2026

Highland Council approves new engagement strategy to put communities at the heart of decision-making

A new Participation and Engagement Strategy developed to encourage community involvement in service design and priority planning is set to be implemented by Highland Council following extensive public consultation.

The strategy incorporates feedback from residents and community groups, focused on the importance of improving transparency, accessibility and feedback. In response, the Council has developed an action plan to ensure engagement can influence real change in communities.

Cllr Graham MacKenzie, Chair of the Communities and Place Committee, said: “Following engagement with our communities, the resounding feedback was that people want real change, not just conversation. I hope that this strategy reassures communities that we want to hear their voices, and that we are listening to and acting on feedback. By involving people earlier in decision-making processes and working in partnership with communities, we are committed to making sure local voices can influence and shape the decisions that affect them.”

The new strategy focuses on four key principles - listening, transparency, accessibility and collaboration – and outlines the Council’s approach to engagement, delivery and evaluation. The strategy aims to achieve early and meaningful engagement, in particular with under-represented groups, and enhance visibility and collaboration with more face-to-face engagement. The new approach also hopes to improve outcomes and feedback with ‘You said, we did’ reporting and demonstrate that effective engagement leads to service improvements and clear benefits for communities who are empowered to shape decision-making.

Next steps in the implementation of the strategy include:

Introduction of a new online engagement platform to bring together all Highland Council consultation and engagement in one place, making it easier for residents to engage
Training for staff to improve how engagement activities are delivered and evaluated
Improved annual reporting on progress and outcomes
Strengthening partnerships within the third sector organisations to better support service delivery.