This half-day workshop plays back the key findings from Phase 1 of BRIDGE’s diagnostic work on cross-border decision-making. It covers recurring patterns such as unclear authority, poor communication between partners, and decisions whose rationale is never explained. Participants will also see the consensus-based tool built in response to these findings.

How will it be delivered?

Participants test the emerging consensus tool against real scenarios drawn from the diagnostic interviews. These include a shared border road maintained by two authorities, aligning cross-border bin collection, a planning decision spilling into a neighbouring council area, and a tight funding deadline. Officials and elected members work through these scenarios in separate breakout groups, then come together for a joint plenary and a live consensus test, scored against the tool’s own scale.

What will I get out of it?

By the end of the session, participants will have directly shaped the Consensus-Based Decision-Making Framework. They’ll have tested it against scenarios relevant to their own work, and had a real say in a tool built specifically for councils navigating cross-border and partnership decisions.

Get Involved

Invitations for this session are issued through the Boards and Members Forum for elected members, and through council contacts for officials. If your council is taking part in BRIDGE and you have questions about attending, please contact East Border Region.