Quality Assurance of the Consultation

This consultation is being Quality Assured by Opinion Research Services (ORS), an independent social research agency, to ensure it is conducted fairly and without bias.

ORS is a well-established and specialist social research practice with wide-ranging experience of statutory consultations and engagement processes across the UK. The agency has extensive experience of delivering a wide range of Risk and Resource Model consultations having worked with numerous fire and rescue services since 2008 (previously as the sole provider of services under the Fire Services Consultation Association).

The following diagram provides a brief introduction to Opinion Research Services (ORS) and their experience, capacities and standards.

Quality Assurance Objectives

ORS will review the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s Consultation Plan, Proposal Information Booklet, survey and web content and analysis to ensure they are fair and without bias – and in particular that the consultation approach conforms to the Gunning Principles which state that a consultation programme should:

• be conducted at a formative stage, before decisions are taken
• allow sufficient time for people to participate and respond
• provide the public and stakeholders with enough background information to allow them to consider the issues and any proposals intelligently and critically; and
• be properly taken into consideration before decisions are finally taken.

ORS will provide an independent Quality Assurance summary of the consultation in a final report.