Have you ever held a consultation or engagement event that suddenly gets taken off track by individual complaints and service issues? You’re not alone!

At our October 2026 meet-up for Local Authority and ALMO engagement officers, we held a ‘Bring Your Challenge’ session. Participants shared some of the challenges they were facing before choosing one to explore in more detail.

The challenge

Imagine you’re holding a consultation meeting about a particular service area, or an engagement event to discuss a new policy. Everything seems to be going well until residents start raising individual issues and complaints. Suddenly, the conversation moves away from the topic, tensions begin to rise and the meeting risks losing its focus.

Sound familiar?

This was a challenge raised by one of the participants at our recent Tpas meet-up. So, what could be done differently?

The solutions

We explored the challenge using a technique called a Solution Circle, where participants share ideas and work together to identify practical ways forward.

Here are some of the suggestions that emerged. If this is something you’ve experienced, why not give them a try?

• Clarify expectations: Make sure everyone understands how the meeting will work and what is, and isn't, going to be covered. Explain this at the beginning or provide a short handout.
• Co-design the meeting rules: Involve residents in agreeing how the meeting should work. This helps create a shared understanding and gives everyone a sense of ownership.
• Build the right meeting skills: Make sure whoever is facilitating has the confidence and skills to listen, acknowledge concerns and respond appropriately, so residents feel valued and respected.
• Explain the benefits: Be clear about what the event aims to achieve and how residents' contributions will make a difference. People need to know it's not just a talking shop.
• Check whether the wider system is working: Residents may be raising individual issues because other routes aren't working for them. Is it difficult to get through to the call centre? Are there problems with reporting repairs or getting updates? It may be worth looking at why people feel they need to raise these issues at the meeting.
• Offer help and follow-up: Be prepared to take details and make sure individual concerns are followed up afterwards. This could involve signposting residents to the right team or working with colleagues to help resolve the issue.
• Try ‘Post It and Park It’: This was the favourite idea from the session! At the start of the event, offer residents Post-it notes where they can write down any individual issues or concerns and stick them on a designated wall or board. Explain that these will be picked up and followed up after the meeting, allowing the group to focus on the main discussion without residents feeling their concerns have been ignored.

The key message? 

Don't dismiss or ignore individual concerns - acknowledge them, make sure there's a way to follow them up, and help the meeting stay focused on its purpose.

About the meet-up

Our online meet-up took place on 22nd October 2026, with 10 engagement officers joining us to share experiences, exchange ideas and try out some practical engagement techniques.

We started with Nine-Minute Networking, with two rounds of small-group conversations exploring different talking points. Participants were mixed into new groups for the second round, giving everyone the chance to connect with different colleagues.

We then explored the challenge using a Solution Circle. One participant shared their challenge before taking a step back and listening while the rest of the group discussed possible solutions. Everyone had an opportunity to contribute before the conversation opened up for wider discussion. The person who raised the challenge then shared which ideas they found most useful.

We finished with our usual Open Space session, giving participants the opportunity to raise any other topics, questions or challenges they wanted to discuss.

It's always valuable to hear directly from colleagues across the sector, share experiences and discover practical ideas that can be taken back and used in our own organisations.

Make the most of your Tpas membership

If your Local Authority or ALMO is a Tpas member, you can access additional benefits designed to support you in your role.

Connect with colleagues from across the sector through our online networking groups, where you can ask questions, share experiences, exchange best practice and offer advice to others.

You can join our quarterly online meet-ups, hosted by local government expert Dave McKenna. These sessions provide a great opportunity to discuss current challenges, share ideas and learn from others working in Local Authority housing and tenant engagement.

Want to get involved?

Find out more and book your place at our next meet-up:
www.tpas.org.uk/member-sessions

To join the online networking group, email membership@tpas.org.uk.