PLANS to improve how North Yorkshire County Council listens to members of the public comes under the spotlight next week.

Councillors say staff should be trained and given more support in how they consult residents to make sure it is not just a "box ticking exercise".

They have come up with a series of recommendations they believe will improve consultation methods.

In 2003, a public opinion survey found that only 39 per cent of people thought the authority was good at asking residents what they think.

The Audit Commission has also identified gaps in community consultation, saying that the council has engaged with the community, but the approach has not been systematic or sustained.

Other research found evidence that the authority's approach to consultation is perceived as being ineffective.

The council's communications overview and scrutiny committee now says the council needs to get organised and set minimum standards for all consultations. They have also suggested setting up a research library, where results of previous consultations are shared and freely available.

Staff who are consulting with members of the public should be trained and supported and web-based consultation methods should be looked into.

They also said that more should be done to feed back the results of the consultation to those involved.

Councillor Helen Swiers, who chairs the communications overview and scrutiny committee, said: "As county councillors, we frequently consult with communities and are consulted ourselves.

"We know that consulting and being consulted is a powerful tool for communication and a vital part of the county council's relationship with the communities we serve.

"We suggest we should enable local people to contribute to our plans and policies in a timely way, because we can listen to what they say, learn from them, and be prepared to change our approach to meet their needs and aspirations.

"This commitment to two way dialogue, listening, learning and being prepared to change, underpins our approach to this project."

The report will be discussed by the council's executive on Tuesday.