Agenda item

5.35 pm – Report of Assistant Director – Policy and Communications attached.

The Assistant Director - Policy and Communications presented a report on the effectiveness of the Council’s external communications, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The report outlined the communications activities undertaken during the pandemic, working effectively with partner agencies and the community and voluntary sector through the Derbyshire Local Resilience Forum, in order to deliver consistent messages to warn and inform using national and local campaigns. Methods had included press releases on service changes and key messages, social media messages and a Covid-19 hub on the website, all of which had been seen as reliable and timely sources of information.

The report also referred to how internal communications had been adapted to support and inform staff and Members, including the weekly Members’ e-bulletin.

Whilst noting the increasing proportion of the general population regularly using the internet, the report outlined the alternative means used to engage with those at risk of digital exclusion, including the ‘Your Chesterfield’ publication delivered to all homes, local print and broadcast media, printed information distributed with Council Tax and Business Rates bills, posters and banners in Council and community buildings and outdoor spaces and signage on Council vehicles.

A range of social media platforms were used to reach less traditional audiences, including the development of augmented reality experiences. These were monitored to assess their effectiveness at reaching the intended audiences and time and resource implications; this would then feed in to a review of the Council’s social media policy in the New Year.

It was recognised that fake news and misinformation could be spread through social media channels and that comments on Council social media channels were assessed in the context of the national Covid-19 policy / legal framework and challenged or deleted where necessary.

It was noted that continuing to manage communications in the current emergency over a long period and the complexity of the messages and changes to guidance at short notice was proving challenging.

Arising from Member’s questions and discussion, the following points were raised:

·    It was hoped that a new customer relationship management system would enable more detailed analysis of the profile of users of the Council’s digital communications;

·    The town’s businesses were promoted online through Destination Chesterfield supporting the ‘Shop Local’ message, such as details of changing opening times and click and collect and delivery options;

·    The majority of the Communications budget (approximately 70 % of non-staff costs) was allocated for the production and distribution of the ‘Your Chesterfield’ publication, with evidence that an increasing proportion of residents accessed information about Council services through this means and that there were high satisfaction levels with it;

·    The majority of the community notice boards, which had been installed by the former Community Forums, but without funding for ongoing maintenance or sufficient arrangements to keep information up to date, had now been transferred to community ownership.

Members expressed their appreciation of the outstanding achievement of the small team of staff in maintaining rapid and reliable communications throughout the pandemic.

The Chair thanked the Deputy Leader and the Assistant Director – Policy and Communications for their contribution to the meeting.

RESOLVED –

(1)      That the report be noted and the work undertaken on external communications during the pandemic be endorsed.

(2)      That suitable means be agreed with the Chair for members of the Community, Customer and Organisational Scrutiny Committee to be consulted as part of the review of the Council’s social media policy.