Elmbridge Climate Change Citizen’s Panel
Register your interest
We are pleased that you are interested in taking part in the Elmbridge Climate Change Citizens’ Panel.
PLEASE NOTE: We will not accept any more registrations after the 30th of May!
If you need to register by alternative means, please call: 0800 009 6819 or email: rowan.harris@sharedfuturecic.org.uk
Still undecided? For more information, check out the FAQ’s below:
A Citizen’s Panel is a way of involving members of the public in the making of important decisions. This panel will bring together a group of 22 randomly chosen people, who reflect the demographic make-up of residents of the whole of Elmbridge. Panel members talk about an issue, share ideas and together come up with a set of recommendations. They are helped by experienced facilitators who make sure everyone has a fair say and that the task is achieved. During the sessions, the facilitators will help make people feel relaxed, safe, and able to take part.
A lot of people feel they don’t get a real say in decisions that affect their lives. But, when people are given the time, space, and reliable sources of information, through the use of Panels, experience shows that members of the public will develop well-informed recommendations. This is what we aim to do here in Elmbridge.
Shared Future – specialists in public engagement have been hired to run the panel on behalf of Elmbridge Borough Council. Shared Future has lots of experience running citizens panels, juries, and assemblies like these.
An Oversight Group has been set up to ensure the Panel is run fairly. It has a wide range of representatives, including: Elmbridge Borough Council, Walton Charity, Brooklands Technical College, Surrey Climate Commission, Green Elmbridge, Surrey County Council, Claygate Parish Council, Surrey University and NHS Surrey Heartlands.
Your household was one of 5,000 addresses in Elmbridge selected by lottery from the Royal Mail Address Database.
We want to hear from a range of people who may have different experiences or opinions. We want to make sure we have a diverse range of people in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, where people live and their feelings about the changing climate. Your views are as important as everyone else’s – we want to hear from you!
Sessions will take place from 10am to 4:30pm, in-person on the following dates:
- Session 1: Saturday 14 June
- Session 2: Saturday 5 July
- Session 3: Saturday 20 September
- Session 4: Saturday 4 October
- Session 5: Saturday 18 October
If you are selected to take part, you will have the opportunity to meet with people from different walks of life who live in Elmbridge. You will hear from engaging speakers, and then discuss the issues involved in small groups. Each group will have a facilitator to make sure everyone has their voice heard. You do not need to have any knowledge of the topics – all the information you need will be provided during the sessions.
Yes, we recognise this is a big commitment. It’s about 30 hours of your time, spread over several weekends. Everyone who attends all the sessions will receive £360 in vouchers. The vouchers can either be for a supermarket of your choice or High Street Shopping vouchers. These will be paid halfway through the panel and at the end. Your travel costs, and any support or care costs, will also be covered where possible.
Taking part is voluntary, but we hope you can find time to be part of this unique opportunity to have your say about Elmbridge. The Citizen’s Panel is a new way for all of us to work together to inform ourselves and to make important collective decisions that affect the long-term future of our local community.
The meetings will be held at an accessible venue with disabled parking available. Lunch will be provided, and your transport costs will be covered.
There is no dress code. Please wear whatever feels comfortable for you. The information provided during the Panel will be as jargon-free as possible. There will be opportunities to ask speakers to explain what they mean if what they are saying is not clear. If you need extra support, like translation, help with accessibility, childcare, or other caring duties, we will try to provide it or cover the costs. If you are selected, please let us know about your specific requirements when we contact you.
Anyone 16 or older by the close of registrations can apply. They must normally live in the area and live full or part time at an address that has received this invitation. Please note only one person from a household will be selected.
Once registration has closed, 22 people will be selected by lottery from those who registered their interest, to take part. The lottery process is done in a particular way to make sure that there are people from all across the borough attending, from different age groups, ethnicities, levels of concern about climate change, and so on. If you are selected, we will contact you by text or email from 2 June to let you know and arrange a convenient time for a quick phone call where we can discuss any help or support that you may need to join the sessions and also to give you the opportunity to ask any questions before we start.
The recommendations will be written by the Citizens’ Panel members with support from the facilitators. These recommendations will become the central part of a report that will also include a detailed explanation of the process followed. Elmbridge Borough Council will respond to all recommendations made by the Panel, confirming what action will be taken.
Register interest here, or we can fill in the form over the phone if you call our Freephone number 0800 009 6819 (7am to 11pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday). The deadline for registering your interest is midnight on Tuesday 30 May 2025.