Starting the conversation: Public engagement guidance for local authority officers

Net Zero Go says:

This guidance sets out a practical, end-to-end approach for local authorities to engage communities in Net Zero and clean energy. It explains why engagement matters, how to plan and deliver it, and how to evaluate impact, drawing on national policy, proven methods and real case studies. It emphasises that early, inclusive engagement improves decisions, reduces risk and builds trust.

For local authorities, the value is clear – better project outcomes, stronger public mandate and smoother delivery. It helps officers secure buy-in, design inclusive processes and avoid costly mistakes, while linking engagement directly to funding, policy priorities and community needs.

Starting the conversation: Public engagement guidance for local authority officers

Delivering the clean energy transition locally means working with residents and communities.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has recognised the importance of this work through Energising Britain: Your Voice in the Clean Energy Transition, which sets out how the government will work with people and communities to ensure the benefits of the clean energy transition are shared by all.

The establishment of Great British Energy (GBE) and the publication of its Local Power Plan further emphasise the critical role of local communities, individuals, and groups in bringing about a just transition to clean energy.

This guidance has been commissioned by DESNZ and the Net Zero Hubs, and builds directly on the baseline paper, taking it further into the practical question of how to engage.

What this guidance is and how to use it

This guidance is a resource for local authorities who want to engage more effectively with their communities on Net Zero and clean energy.

It is organised into 11 sections.

Introduction
The case for engagement
Understanding your starting point
Setting your strategy
Planning your engagement
Choosing your methods
Ensuring your approach is inclusive and accessible
Evaluating your engagement
Stories from practice
Learning from Energy Champions
Tools, templates, and more resources (including a glossary)

It begins by making the case for engagement and helping you to understand your starting point. It then guides you through setting a strategy, planning, and delivering engagement, choosing your methods, working inclusively, and embedding evaluation and learning across your work. Throughout, you will find practical tools, templates, and stories from practice.

Where are you starting from?

The guidance has been designed so you can pick it up at any point.

Whether you are new to this area or already running engagement programmes, you should be able to find what you need.

Starting the conversation: Public engagement guidance for local authority officers

This resource is part of a collection

Topics

Download files