WINSFORD Town Council is launching a new online platform to give residents a voice.

Councillors decided to fund a pilot using the CitizenLab online engagement platform at their remote council meeting last Monday.

The platform will allow residents and communities to put forward ideas and proposals on how the council’s Covid-19 Prompt Action Fund could be used to help people during these difficult times.

The pilot will cost the council £1,500 and begins next month.

The engagement platform has been designed to allow communities to participate in council decision making.

Winsford mayor Cllr Ailsa Gaskill-Jones said: "The council has taken a decision to make use of the CitizenLab digital engagement platform.

“What this means in practice is that the community as a whole can play a part in how the council makes decisions and can put forward proposals and ideas which the council can then take a look at before taking them forward, or not.

"This represents a very different way of doing things for the town council but it is a positive thing to make the community a part of what we do."

The pilot is expected to last for around three months and will play a part in how the town council assists the town during the pandemic.

READ > Church responds to villager’s anger over lowered headstones in Whitegate

Following the conclusion of the pilot, the council will look at whether it wishes to continue to use the tool in the longer term.

Town clerk Mark Bailey said: "This potentially represents a very innovative way of doing business as a council and the council very much welcomes the challenge of using the engagement tool during these very challenging times.

"Our ambition is to help as many people as possible but we want to be sure that our help is focused in the right places."

A working group of councillors and members of the public have formed a working group which will meet on April 30 via Zoom to discuss how the platform will operate and the best way forward.

Coline Cuau, head of marketing for CitizenLab, already working with councils all over the world,  said: “Once people see their ideas are being listened to and a bond of trust has been established, they want to come back.
"These platforms help people to realise their voice does matter and can make a difference. 
"This is a good time for citizen participation."

A demonstration of how the platform works can be seen at https://winsford.demo.citizenlab.co/