How much does a standing panel cost?

A standing panel is a bespoke, large panel usually bringing together at least 1,000 demographically and geographically representative members of the public, which provides a body from which to draw smaller groups to feed into key decisions. Standing panels can be used as a ready-to-go instrument for participatory and deliberative processes and consultations. 

A standing panel reduces recruitment resources and time when teams want to involve the public in a decision. A standing panel can be used for big decisions that need to be made more quickly than others, lighter-touch engagement to take a temperature check on a specific issue, or bring members of the public in to understand the impact of an unfolding crisis or a decision in real time. Once people have participated in a process, they rotate out of the pool and are replaced with newly recruited members.

The United Kingdom was the first country where the government created a standing panel at national level. The People's Panel was set up in 1998 to primarily track levels of satisfaction with public services. The panel consisted of 5,000 members of the public and was set up for the Cabinet Office. NHS North East London has a standing panel of 2,200 members and the Scottish Government’s Social Security Experience Panel has 2,400 members.

So, how much does a standing panel cost?

A standing panel will cost £175,000 - £350,000 to set up and maintain for a year. Annual maintenance will then usually be somewhere in the range of £80,000 - £125,000, depending on the number of members and deliberation sessions. This includes incentives for light touch engagement (like surveys) and administration, but doesn’t include the costs for any participatory or deliberative processes you use the standing panel for.