Annual town and parish meetings - George is here with his whippet… Again.

Google says Annual Town Meetings in England are mandatory, community-focused assemblies held between March and June. They exist to discuss parish affairs, highlight council activity, and give residents space to raise local issues.

That’s the theory.

In practice, some councils whisper that the meeting is happening, secretly hoping no one turns up. Others roll out cheese, wine, and the subtle scent of bribery to tempt people through the door.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably part of a listening council. Or at least a council that wants to be one.

From a communications perspective, the invitation matters more than the agenda.

Most councils invite residents to come and hear what the council has been doing. That makes sense. It feels responsible. It also creates a room full of familiar faces, nodding politely, while everyone else stays at home.

It can feel like preaching to the converted. It rarely builds future councillors, volunteers, or fresh voices.

So what needs to change?

Flip it.

There are three reasons people phone into talk-based radio shows.

One. The presenter is wrong and I need to correct them.
Two. I might win a prize.
Three. I want to help.

Having presented on LBC and the BBC, I always tried to avoid option one. But even that urge is usually about helping. Loudly.

The same psychology applies to community engagement.

If your annual meeting is framed as a broadcast, you’ll get spectators.
If it’s framed as an invitation to contribute, you’ll get participants.

So design the meeting around contribution.

Celebrate the community.
Create awards for volunteers, local champions, quiet grafters, youth groups, carers, organisers, and neighbours who make things work. Make this the main course. Let the council be the side dish.

Ask for help. Properly.
Say it clearly. We need your help to decide priorities for the next year. We need your help shaping how money is spent. We need your help solving this problem.

People respond to being needed far more than being informed.

Be specific.
Not “we welcome feedback” but “we are choosing between three options and want your view tonight.”

Lower the emotional barrier to entry.
People don’t avoid meetings because they don’t care. They avoid them because they feel awkward, out of place, or worried they won’t understand what’s going on. Explain what will happen. Explain what won’t. Tell them they don’t need to speak. Or tell them exactly how they can.

Change the format.
Less top table. More round tables. Short updates. Clear questions. Visible notes. Let people see their words being captured in real time.

Tell stories, not reports.
One real story about impact lands harder than ten bullet points from a committee.

Close the loop.
Nothing kills engagement faster than silence. Show what changed because people showed up. Even if the answer is “we heard you and here’s why we can’t do that yet.”

And remember this.

Community engagement doesn’t start with a survey.
It starts with a sense of welcome.

That welcome begins long before the annual meeting. It begins when councillors attend other people’s meetings. When the council is visible at events. When residents recognise faces, not logos.

An open door is not always an invitation.
Sometimes you have to step outside and meet people first.

That’s how you move from George and his whippet to a room that actually reflects the community you serve.