Objectives:
The main goal of the work is to introduce the recipient to the tradition and the future of social consultations in local government units. This article is devoted to public consultation, which is a form of direct democracy. Public consultations take a unique form, especially in local government, the specificity of which is based on the transfer of power to members of the local government community and thus cooperation in making joint decisions.

Material and methods:
Among the materials used and the research methods used, the descriptive method played a significant role. The verification method was used in order to draw conclusions on the basis of the observations made and the tests performed. In the research process, a retrospective (ex post) analysis was used and the dogmatic-legal method was used, the main purpose of which was to interpret legal provisions.

Results:
The conducted research shows that in the areas of using the institutions of public consultations, the need to involve the public in this process is becoming more and more apparent. A very positive effect of the results obtained is the increasing awareness among the inhabitants of local government units that their participation in the participatory model of joint decision-making is the key to building a civil society that supports the implementation of public tasks by local governments.

Conclusions:
The key conclusions from the evaluation of the conducted research are aimed at the need for greater involvement of the local government society in the decision-making processes. However, for the above condition to be met, the managers of local self-government units must absolutely activate the institution of social consultations, using the opinion of the society, which is so important for the development of local self-governments.