From ‘consultation’ to genuine conversation: why listening to place matters
This week ministers announced new plans to bring together a group of 100 randomly selected citizens to help shape the government’s consultation on the future of Digital ID.
The move marks a growing interest in a different way of engaging the public in policy decisions. Rather than relying solely on traditional consultations or old school polling, the Government is turning to what is often called the assembly model. Citizens are brought together, given time to hear evidence, discuss the trade-offs and feed their views into the policy process.
For many people this may feel like a new development. But the approach has already begun to emerge across different parts of the country.
Through Purpose Lab Place, I have been encouraged by the work This Is Purpose are leading in this area. Last year we began piloting Constituency Assemblies as a way of bringing structured community insight directly into policy conversations.
These assemblies bring together MPs and their constituents to discuss the barriers people experience to opportunity in their communities and to explore practical responses grounded in lived experience.
Listening to Lived Experience
At the heart of the assembly model is a simple principle: the people whose lives are shaped by policy should have a voice in the conversations that inform it.
Engaging directly with lived experience has long been central to the work of The Purpose Coalition and Purpose Labs. Across our programmes we bring together students, employers, educators and communities to understand the barriers to opportunity that people encounter in everyday life.
Purpose Lab Place extends that work into communities themselves, creating structured conversations about how opportunity is shaped by where people live.
Piloting the Model in Constituencies
Last year we tested this approach in partnership with leading local MPs who wanted to try new ways to proactively engage their constituents.
In 2025 sessions took place in:
• Edinburgh South West, with Dr Scott Arthur MP
• Wolverhampton North East, with Sureena Brackenridge MP
Purpose Labs will continue our work in these constituencies, bringing together residents, employers, educators and students to discuss the challenges facing their communities.
Importantly, the discussions extend beyond the day of the assembly. Insights from each event are captured and analysed alongside regional data to identify patterns and practical responses.
What stood out in both constituencies was the quality of engagement. When given the right environment and time to reflect, attendees approached the discussions thoughtfully, building each other’s ideas and offering perspectives rooted in lived experience.
Why the Government Is Turning to This Model
The Government’s decision to use an assembly on Digital ID reflects a wider shift in thinking about how complex policy questions should be explored.
Traditional consultations often invite responses to proposals that have already been developed. Assemblies take a different approach. They create space for participants to hear evidence, discuss different perspectives, and deliberate together before offering conclusions.
Through Purpose Lab Place, we will be expanding to more constituencies this year, deepening the understanding of the barriers to opportunity across Britain.
