How to write a submission that gets results

​It's nearly that time of year again, when councils will be seeking feedback from the public on a wide range of plans, policies and bylaws.
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I've read thousands of submissions. In my experience, the most effective submissions:

• provide a concise summary at the beginning of the submission of the changes requested
• are reasonable and logical rather than overly emotive, but say why the issue matters
• explain why the requested change is better, for both the council and the wider community
• consider the point of view of the council and what the objections could be to what the submitter is requesting
• make it easy for the council to say yes to their proposal — one way to do this is to provide alternative wording for inclusion in the plan
• recognise the constraints the council is working within, and propose solutions that can be achieved within those constraints
• say what the submitter supports as well as what they are seeking to change.