The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) commissioned a citizens’ panel to address the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 public health crisis. The panel sought citizens’ input to inform and guide the priorities for the region’s recovery.
Problems and Purpose
The COVID-19 crisis has posed significant social and economic challenges in the West Midlands region. The citizens’ panel’s purpose was to ensure that the citizens’ input was represented and that the priorities determined by the local authorities were reflective of the citizens’ lived experiences, views, and recommendations [1].
Background History and Context
The West Midlands has been one of the hardest-hit regions in the United Kingdom by the COVID-19 pandemic [2]. The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has created the Recovery Coordination Group (WMRCG) to develop a regional strategy in response to its short- and long-term social and economic impacts. Due to the complexity of the crisis and the trade-offs it requires, local authorities commissioned a citizens’ panel to help inform their decision-making process. The decision to rely on a citizens’ panel is unusual in the region, but it was made to ensure greater citizens’ input in the decision-making process [3].
Organizing, Supporting, and Funding Entities
The citizens’ panel was commissioned by the WMCA, delivered by the organization BritainThinks, and supported by Engage Britain.
Participant Recruitment and Selection
The panel was composed of 36 members that represent a cross-section of the West Midlands. Professional market research recruiters selected 27 panellists from Constituent Authorities, and nine from Non-Constituent Authorities. The following criteria were used to ensure the diversity of the panel: gender, age, socio-economic group, ethnicity, health, location, life stage, employment, voting history/ intention, shielded [4].
Methods and Tools Used
The citizens’ panel was conducted online via the Microsoft Teams platform. The process included both plenary sessions and breakout groups. The citizens had access to an expert vox-pop library to support their deliberation [5]. This library was made of short videos pre-recorded by experts to provide information about specific policy areas. The panellists had access to the videos during the whole process.
What Went On: Process, Interaction, and Participation
The process was divided into three phases: induction, informed priorities, and priorities and principles. The first two phases lasted two days each while the latter took place over four days. The following describes in more details their structure:
- Induction (June 3rd and 4th): 1 x 30-min plenary session with all 36 participants; 6 x 60-min group discussions with 6 participants; pre-tasked to capture insights on “life under lockdown.”
- Informed priorities (June 10th and 11th): 6 x 90-min group discussions with six participants; pre-tasked to inform them on the impacts of Coronavirus to the region.
- Priorities and principles (June 24th and 25th; July 1st and 2nd): 12 x 90-min group discussions with six participants, each participant took part in two sessions, one week apart; 2 x 30-min plenary sessions and a final 90-min discussion with six citizens, nominated amongst the panel. [6]
At the beginning of the process, the organizers pre-tasked all panellists to tell the whole group, through words or images, about their experience of life in lockdown. It preceded a participant-led group discussion on their experiences, their perceptions of the crisis, and their spontaneous views on the region’s priorities and areas of focus [7].
For the second phase, panellists received, ahead of the group discussion, information on the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on six areas (jobs and business, education and skills, health and wellbeing, community and neighbourhoods, transport and environment, and crime) [8]. This information informed their deliberation and helped them consider the broader implications of the crisis. From this discussion, critical areas were identified.
The areas that emerged during the second phase of the process were then used in the last phase deliberation. By drawing on the policy content provided in the “expert vox-pop library,” panellists were asked to deliberate on four narrative questions:
- How do we get people in the West Midlands back to work?;
- How do we keep people in the West Midlands safe and well?;
- How do we ensure we don’t have a lost generation of children and young people in the West Midlands?;
- Where are there opportunities in the West Midlands to make things better than they were before the Coronavirus pandemic? [9]
After re-grouping the different priorities under broader categories, panellists were asked to summarize in one sentence the aim of the recovery in these areas [10]. Regarding the deliberation on the principles to guide the recovery, scales were used to stimulate discussion about the best approach:
- Focus on what we know works - Be innovative and try new things;
- Work behind the scenes - Be a strong voice of your own;
- Encourage different parts of the region to approach things differently - Encourage a region-wide approach;
- Focus on positive encouragement - Be prepared to ‘name and shame’;
- Focus on actions that will help the most people - Focus on the most vulnerable groups;
- Work with the most helpful people and groups - Make sure everyone pitches in. [11]
The emerging principles were then synthesized, reviewed, and edited by a representative group of six panellists elected by the whole panel [12].
Influence, Outcomes, and Effects
The citizens’ panel and its deliberative process identified a series of priorities and principles to guide and inform the work of the WMRCG. In addition, BritainThinks conducted a survey of 500 members of the public in the West Midlands using the insights from the citizens’ panel [13]. The WMRCG’s report will be presented to the West Midlands’ Metro-Mayor and the leaders of the regions’ seven Local Authorities at the Mayors and Leaders Policy Forum. [14]
Analysis and Lessons Learned
See Also
References
[1] BritainThinks, West Midlands Recovery Coordination Group’s Citizens’ Panel – Full debrief of findings, July 2020, p. 5, https://www.wmca.org.uk/media/4053/final-report-wmrcg-citizens-panel-on-post-covid-recovery.pdf
[2] BritainThinks, West Midlands Recovery Coordination Group’s Citizens’ Panel – Full debrief of findings, July 2020, p. 4, https://www.wmca.org.uk/media/4053/final-report-wmrcg-citizens-panel-on-post-covid-recovery.pdf
[3] Interview with Cllr Brigid Jones, September 3rd, 2020.
[4] BritainThinks, West Midlands Recovery Coordination Group’s Citizens’ Panel – Full debrief of findings, July 2020, p. 9, https://www.wmca.org.uk/media/4053/final-report-wmrcg-citizens-panel-on-post-covid-recovery.pdf
[5] BritainThinks, West Midlands Recovery Coordination Group’s Citizens’ Panel – Full debrief of findings, July 2020, p. 44, https://www.wmca.org.uk/media/4053/final-report-wmrcg-citizens-panel-on-post-covid-recovery.pdf
[6] BritainThinks, West Midlands Recovery Coordination Group’s Citizens’ Panel – Full debrief of findings, July 2020, p. 8, https://www.wmca.org.uk/media/4053/final-report-wmrcg-citizens-panel-on-post-covid-recovery.pdf
[7] BritainThinks, West Midlands Recovery Coordination Group’s Citizens’ Panel – Full debrief of findings, July 2020, p. 25, https://www.wmca.org.uk/media/4053/final-report-wmrcg-citizens-panel-on-post-covid-recovery.pdf
[8] BritainThinks, West Midlands Recovery Coordination Group’s Citizens’ Panel – Full debrief of findings, July 2020, p. 35, https://www.wmca.org.uk/media/4053/final-report-wmrcg-citizens-panel-on-post-covid-recovery.pdf
[9] BritainThinks, West Midlands Recovery Coordination Group’s Citizens’ Panel – Full debrief of findings, July 2020, p. 44, https://www.wmca.org.uk/media/4053/final-report-wmrcg-citizens-panel-on-post-covid-recovery.pdf
[10] BritainThinks, West Midlands Recovery Coordination Group’s Citizens’ Panel – Full debrief of findings, July 2020, p. 52, https://www.wmca.org.uk/media/4053/final-report-wmrcg-citizens-panel-on-post-covid-recovery.pdf
[11] BritainThinks, West Midlands Recovery Coordination Group’s Citizens’ Panel – Full debrief of findings, July 2020, p. 65, https://www.wmca.org.uk/media/4053/final-report-wmrcg-citizens-panel-on-post-covid-recovery.pdf
[12] BritainThinks, West Midlands Recovery Coordination Group’s Citizens’ Panel – Full debrief of findings, July 2020, p. 66, https://www.wmca.org.uk/media/4053/final-report-wmrcg-citizens-panel-on-post-covid-recovery.pdf
[13] BritainThinks, Headline findings from quantitative survey, July 2020, https://www.wmca.org.uk/media/4052/headline-findings-wmrcg-survey-on-post-covid-recovery.pdf
[14] BritainThinks, West Midlands Recovery Coordination Group’s Citizens’ Panel – Full debrief of findings, July 2020, p. 4, https://www.wmca.org.uk/media/4053/final-report-wmrcg-citizens-panel-on-post-covid-recovery.pdf
External Links
Notes
This entry was prepared in collaboration with Cllr Brigid Jones, chair of the Citizens’ Panel steering group, and Adam Hawksbee, WMCA Head of policy and programme development.