If you require a more accessible form of this information sheet please ask the researcher.

Information Sheet WITPI / RTPI Focus Group

Project Title	Working in the Public Interest (WITPI)
Principal Investigator	Professor Malcolm Tait, University of Sheffield
Funding Body	Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
Disclaimer	This study has been approved by the University of Sheffield’s Research Ethics Committee

Introduction
You are being invited to take part in a research project being undertaken by a group of researchers from the University of Sheffield, Newcastle University and University College London, in partnership with the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). The project is entitled ‘Working in the Public
Interest’ (WITPI).
Before you decide whether or not to participate it is important for you to understand why the research is being conducted and what participation will involve. Please read the following information carefully, feel free to discuss it with others if you wish, or ask the research team for clarification or further information. Please take time to decide whether or not you wish to take part.

Why is this research being conducted?
The aim of this project is to explore how the involvement of private sector organisations in local government planning activity is changing professional practices. This has two objectives: first, to determine how the respective roles of the public and private sectors in delivering planning in the ‘public interest’ have changed over the post-war period; and second, to explore how these roles operate today. We hope to show how professional planners across a range of organisational settings have adjusted to changing organisational configurations, how they view their own roles, and how they define, enact and understand the public interest purpose of planning activity. We also hope it will generate debate about how professionals might realise the public interest in the future and highlight both the dangers and potentials of the commercialisation of public sector work.

Who is organising and funding the research?
This project is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), and organised by a the WITPI research team (from the University of Sheffield, Newcastle University, and University College London). The focus groups are being co-produced with the RTPI.

Why am I being invited to take part?
You are being invited to take part due to your knowledge and experience of spatial planning practice and your continued involvement in this field in a professional capacity.

Do I have to participate?
Participation is entirely voluntary. If you do choose to participate and then change your mind, you may withdraw from the research at any time with no consequences and without having to give a reason.

What will happen if I choose to take part?
If you do choose to participate, you will be invited to a focus group alongside approximately 8 to 15 planning professionals from the public and private sectors to explore the issues highlighted above. The focus group will be led by either a member of the RTPI or a member of the WITPI research team at a location chosen as close as possible to the attendees. The focus group will last approximately two hours and will be audio recorded (and transcribed at a later date). Travel and subsistence expenses are not offered for participation.

What are the advantages of taking part?
There are no immediate benefits for participating in this project and no financial incentive or reward is offered, however it is hoped that this project will inform the future of spatial planning practice, and local governance more generally. Some participants may find that the space to reflect on their careers can be beneficial to their professional practice.

What are the possible disadvantages of taking part?
We anticipate no significant disadvantages associated with taking part in this project. If you experience any unexpected adverse consequences as a result of taking part in the project you are encouraged to contact the researcher as soon as possible using the contact details on page 3 of this information sheet.

If I choose to take part, what will happen to the data?
The interview data will be anonymised at the point of transcription and identified by a general identifier (e.g. ‘Planning officer A’ or ‘Planning consultant B’). A record of participant identities and any notes will be kept separately and securely from the anonymised data. All data and information affiliated with this project will be securely stored on an encrypted computer drive and physical documents will be stored securely on University property.
The transcribed material will be used for purposes of analysis and we may seek clarification of a point, or follow up on a piece of information given at the session. Where we want to use a specific (named) example we will provide the individual(s) concerned with the text of that example for verification and this would only be used with express permission from all parties.
The data will be only used for the purposes of this research and relevant outputs, and will not be shared with any third party. On completion of the project, all interview recordings, records and transcribed interviews will be retained as per the ESRC’s Research Data Policy. The anonymised data will also be considered for repository in the UK Data Archive meaning that it will be publicly available, however no identifiable or commercial sensitive information will be accessible in this way.

What will happen to the results of the research project?
It is anticipated that the data collected in this project will be published in several academic outputs such as peer-reviewed academic journals and a published monograph as well as a non-academic output in the form of a report produced by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). You will not be personally identified in any of the outputs from this work, and attributions and quotations will be anonymised. If you would like to receive an electronic copy of any outputs stemming from this project please ask the contact below who will be happy to provide this.

Contact Details
If you would like more information or have any questions or concerns about the project or your participation please use the contact details below:

Primary contact	Dr Abigail Schoneboom
Role	Research Associate, School of Architecture Planning and Landscape, Newcastle University
Email	abigail.schoneboom@ncl.ac.uk
Telephone	0191 208 4504
RTPI contact	Daniel Slade
Email	daniel.Slade@rtpi.org.uk
Telephone	020 7929 9496

Principal Investigator	Professor Malcolm Tait
Role	Head of Department, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, University of Sheffield
Email	m.tait@sheffield.ac.uk
Telephone	0114 222 6919

Concerns and / or Complaints
If you have concerns about any aspect of this research project please contact Dr Abigail Schoneboom in the first instance, and then the Principal Investigator if necessary (using the contact details above).
In addition to these avenues the University of Sheffield also has a complaints procedure, details of which may be found at: www.sheffield.ac.uk/ssid/procedures/grid.html#complaints.