FAQs

We created our online engagement hub to make it easier for people to get involved and have their say.  However, it won’t replace face-to-face engagement.  Depending on the issue, there may also be opportunities for you to attend a public meeting or workshop, or to call in at an information event or roadshow.  Check out each engagement project for details of any events that are being held.    

Even before covid-19 restrictions, we recognised that traditional consultations such as attending public meetings, are not for everyone.  They can be time consuming and inconvenient or even intimidating.  Our online platform gives you the opportunity to have your say on council and wider community planning decision making processes, at a time and place of your choice.  

Engaging online is:

• a quick, safe and convenient way to have your say on a range of issues and topics;
• it is a great way to keep up to date and contribute your views on issues affecting your community;
• you can see what other community members think about an issue or topic, respond with your own views and engage in a discussion.

You can fill in a survey or answer a quick polls at any time by clicking on the appropriate link.  However, if you want to take part in a discussion forum or share your ideas, you will need to register and sign in.  

If this is your first time participating in engagement activities though Your Say Southend, you will need to register using the "Register" button at the top right hand of the page.  When prompted create a username of your own choice and provide a valid email address.  We will then send you a verification email to complete your registration. 

Please note: your comments will appear under your username, so we recommend that you create a username that protects your identity; do not use your full name.    

You only have to register the once and then log-in each time you participate in an engagement activity.  You can opt out by unsubscribing at any time.

If you have previously registered simply click on the "Sign In" function located on the right hand side of the top tool bar.   To ensure our surveys and polls are anonymous, you should not be signed when completing your survey or poll.   

We are asking people to register to help us keep the platform safe and reliable.   If you are registered, you can also tell us if you want to be notified about future engagements.  That way you will not miss anything important!  

When you register, we ask questions about you such as your year of birth, gender and postcode.  These questions are optional, but this helps us understand who is engaging with us.  Knowing a little more about who you are also helps us get a higher quality of data to go along with your feedback.  The data will help us determine for example, if specific groups such as younger people or older people have differing views. This provides us with a richer and more valuable response to help us make decisions.  The registration data also allows us to know who is typically engaging with us and whether we need to take steps to help give everyone an equal opportunity to get involved and have their voice heard.

Yes, we take your privacy very seriously.  We will never give your personal details to a third party or disclose your personal information without your consent. 

We will only use your email to contact you with updates and to invite you to participate in consultations.  We will not give your email address to anyone else or use it for any other purpose.

Please read our Privacy notice: Southend-on-Sea City Council Privacy Notice(External link).

You can opt out of receiving notifications from Your say Southend at any time by updating your profile.  If you no longer wish to participate and be registered on the platform entirely, please email consultations@southend.gov.uk and we will deactivate your account and cancel your registration.

We collate all comments, ideas and suggestions received from our engagement platform and from other face-to-face consultation to gain insight into community views and opinions, which we then use to inform the development of strategies, policies, and activities or other council decision-making processes.  However, whilst all feedback provided during a consultation will be considered, this does not mean that every suggestion can be taken on board or adopted.

All moderation is carried out by Engagement HQ and all moderation is independent of Council. The moderators do not edit or alter any comments and will only remove comments deemed to be significantly off topic, offensive or malicious, in which case they are removed from the site immediately.   

Yes, you can change your registration details by logging into your account on the site. Once you're logged in you'll see your username above your say Southend banner in the top right hand corner. Click on the drop down arrow, which brings up a menu, then click Profile and make any updates.