When we think about stakeholder engagement in major infrastructure projects, it’s easy to gravitate towards the most visible and powerful voices: our MPs and Councillors. After all, they hold elected office, they’re easy to find in the phonebook, and they often have the authority to shape public perception and funding decisions.
But if we focus exclusively on this group, if we shape our entire engagement strategy around political stakeholders, we risk losing sight of the very people these projects are meant to serve.
The danger of adopting a narrow lens
Rather than the what or the how, you’ll often hear me talk about starting with the reason, the cause, or the motive for engaging stakeholders. Why are we building this bridge, this road, or this facility? The why is not to secure a headline in the local newspaper or a soundbite for a press conference. The why is to make people’s lives better. To connect communities. To enable economic opportunity. To provide safer, more reliable services for the public.
When we only engage with politicians, particularly those with limited lived experience of the communities that will benefit from a project, we risk building for politics rather than for people. We create projects that might tick boxes or align with manifestos but fail to resonate with those who rely on the outcome.
The risks of a political-first approach
When politicians become the primary, or sole, audience, we end up:
- Prioritising visibility over value: Projects become about political wins rather than meaningful impact.
- Ignoring critical voices: Communities, residents, and users often understand their own needs better than those who represent them.
- Designing without empathy: A project that looks good in a press release might not meet the needs of those who live, work, and play in its shadow.
And when a project faces challenges, as all projects do, the people most directly affected are left wondering, Why didn’t they ask us? Why didn’t they listen?
Shifting from politics to purpose
So, how do we avoid this trap? How do we design stakeholder engagement that serves the why and the purpose, rather than just the politics?
- Identify all stakeholders. Not just the loudest ones. Start by mapping everyone who will experience the benefits (and disruptions) of the project. This includes commuters, small businesses, community groups, schools, healthcare providers, and countless others. These are the real users.
- Build empathy into engagement. Get on the ground. Hold workshops in community centres, not just town halls. Go where people live and listen to their stories. Ask them what they need and what worries them. This is where true innovation and resilience are born.
- Make politicians partners, not kings. Politicians are important, they help secure funding, navigate regulatory hurdles, and advocate on behalf of their constituents. But they should be partners in a process that’s led by the people, not gatekeepers of the process itself.
- Measure success by impact, not headlines. Ultimately, success isn’t determined by a ribbon-cutting or a front-page photo. It’s measured by how many lives are improved, how many communities are connected, and how many people feel a sense of pride and ownership in what’s been built.
Inspire trust through inclusion
When we invite everyone to the table, not just the political stakeholders, we build trust. And trust is the currency of all lasting relationships. Trust is what gets us through delays, setbacks, and change. Trust is what makes a community say, “we’re with you, let’s do this together.”
So, let’s not make the mistake of talking only to those in power. Let’s talk to those who will use what we build. Let’s talk to the people, the parents, the commuters, the small business owners, those who make a community thrive.
That’s how we build projects that last. That’s how we build projects that matter. And that’s how we inspire people to believe in what we’re doing – together.
Rapport North 