Our stakeholder engagement programme – a five counties approach

Community and stakeholder engagement are one and the same thing – communities come together around a place or collective interest and stakeholders give a voice to that place or interest. Regional stakeholders all have an integral role in the collective success of the North West. We value the perspectives they bring, representing different and sometimes competing priorities that we need to factor in our decision making.

Each of the region’s five counties has its own individual needs and priorities. We cannot deliver our services, tackle water management issues or plan for the future without stakeholder engagement being a core part of our everyday operation. We have long standing and meaningful relationships with many partners who give us a deep understanding of what matters most to our regional stakeholders.

We have a dedicated team of five senior leaders who each have responsibility to engage communities and stakeholders for a North West county – Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire.

Called ‘Area Engagement Leads’, they fully immerse themselves in the community, gaining a greater understanding of the stakeholders and their priorities within a county. These Leads seek to align our strategic needs with the region’s strategic priorities, for example identifying the best approach to reducing the volume of rainfall entering combined sewers to reduce flooding risk and help enable economic growth.