Assessing the impact of our decisions

As a council, our decision-making process should be evidence-based, justified and transparent. It should also identify methods for mitigating negative impact. We need to assess the impacts of our decisions at an early stage of any policy development, project or service review. We should ensure decisions are informed by a good understanding of the impact on:

• individuals
• groups
• communities

Cornwall Development and Decision Wheel

In 2021, we introduced a new tool to better understand and assess the impact of our decisions. The Cornwall Development and Decision Wheel is used to help shape and inform work as we develop:

• strategies
• policies
• projects
• programmes

It helps staff look at the decision through different lenses:

• environmental
• social
• equality and inclusion

The Cornwall Development and Decision Wheel should be used for the majority of decisions we make as a council. This ensures that we meet our legal duties under the Equality Act 2010 by not unlawfully discriminating against different communities. It also helps us to deliver on our carbon neutral ambitions.

For more information please see the link below:

• The Cornwall Development And Decision Wheel – A New Approach To Decision Making

Decision wheels for relevant reports can be found on the Committee structure page. You can see decision wheels relating to council budget decisions below.