Surrey CC recently became the latest public service to fall foul of a judicial review over its consultation on library closures. Barry Creasy and Davy Jones ask whether consultation has now become a dirty word for the public, and what councils and other public bodies should do about it.

Consultation is certainly a much-used word these days. Almost every week BBC Radio4's Today programme and other media announce that the Government, or some other public body will be 'mounting a consultation'.