A Greater Manchester Participation Playbook

A comprehensive guide and collection of participatory tools designed to help communities and decision-makers in Greater Manchester work collaboratively to design services, shift power, and rebuild trust in local democracy.

Commissioned by GM Live Well and created by a committee of participatory democracy experts (including The People Act and Shared Future CIC), the Playbook acts as a "game box" of methodologies. It centers on co-production — sharing power between decision-makers and community members with lived experience to spark systemic change. It emphasizes an asset-based approach, focusing on community skills and knowledge rather than just "fixing" problems.

This Playbook is an operational roadmap for residents, policymakers, and community organizers. It provides "Rules of the Game" for selecting, testing, and combining various participatory tools to address complex local challenges like health inequalities, housing, and public safety. It includes a resources guide and directory of local practitioners to help design and implement these processes.

Source: GM Live Well
Language: English

Author: Katy Rubin (The People Act), Liz Mytton (Theatre In Flow), Patrick Tierney, Jez Hall, Caroline Tosal-Suprun, Kyle Soo

Year of publication: 2025