The Council Engagement Playbook

What's the best way to use your council to accelerate local change? This guide pulls together everything Regional Leaders across the UK have learnt so far, decoding the bureaucracy so you don't have to.

A council can be one of the most powerful ways to amplify the movement in your area. A single letter from them can reach every family in your town. A shared council standard can bring dozens of schools onto the same page at once. But councils are slow, and it's not always obvious where to start.

This playbook pulls together what we've learned from Regional Leaders who've actually done it, across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It covers how councils are structured, who's actually worth approaching, and which of the many things a council can offer are worth asking for.

It's built from real campaigns: the emails that worked, the asks that landed, and the wins that took months of chasing to get there. Real letters, motions and speeches are included too, ready to borrow and adapt.

Use it if you're just starting out and don't know which door to knock on. Use it if you've got a meeting booked and want to walk in with the right ask. And use it if a council's gone quiet, to work out whether it's worth chasing or time to put your energy elsewhere.

[.style-link]Download the Council Engagement Playbook[.style-link]
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