Residents are engaging in their hundreds with council consultations – but a new report has raised questions over whether the level of participation represents value for money.
A review of the Let’s Talk Mid Devon platform has found engagement rates vary widely depending on the topic, with some surveys attracting near-total participation while others struggle to convert interest into responses.
The report, presented to the scrutiny committee, examined usage, costs and effectiveness of the council’s online engagement hub, which was launched in 2023 to centralise consultations and feedback.
According to the findings, the platform has achieved an overall weighted engagement rate of more than 44%, based on survey data collected since its introduction.
Figures in Appendix 1 show that large-scale public consultations, such as residents’ surveys, generated some of the highest response volumes. The 2023 residents’ survey recorded 830 responses from 1,241 visitors, while the 2025 version saw 525 responses from 749 visitors.
Targeted surveys performed even more strongly. Leisure-related consultations, including fitness and swimming surveys, achieved engagement rates of up to 100%, indicating that more focused topics tend to encourage higher participation.
In contrast, broader policy consultations saw significantly lower response rates. For example, a caravan site draft policy survey recorded just four responses from 94 visitors, an engagement rate of 4%.
The report states that this trend suggests residents are less likely to complete surveys that require more time or feel less directly relevant to them.
Barriers to engagement identified in the review include complex or lengthy surveys, weak audience targeting, limited promotion, and concerns around data privacy. Poor mobile user experience and unclear expectations around completion time were also highlighted as factors reducing participation.
The platform costs the council £11,000 per year, but the report notes it has reduced spending elsewhere by replacing multiple systems and cutting the need for external consultation providers. Built-in analysis tools have also reduced the time officers spend reviewing feedback.
Despite fluctuations in engagement, the report concludes that the platform provides a centralised and efficient way to gather resident feedback, supporting the council’s wider communication strategy.
However, councillors have been asked to consider whether current engagement levels justify the cost and to identify potential improvements.
Suggested measures include simplifying surveys to a five-minute standard, improving targeting and promotion, and providing clearer feedback to residents on how their input influences decisions.
The report also highlights the potential of a forthcoming mobile app, which could send direct notifications about consultations to residents and increase participation.
Councillors will now review the findings and decide on the future direction of the platform.
