Other policies

1. Introduction

1.1 Communication and engagement are a vital part of running any organisation. Organisations that regularly communicate tend to have a better reputation and satisfaction with their service users.

1.2 Communication and engagement allow the council to both give out and receive information from a range of stakeholders that it regularly interacts with. As a local council, speaking to the public and hearing back their views is fundamental to its function and purpose as a democratic body. This communication should operate to professional standards and be consistent in its production, quality, relevance and frequency.

1.3 This strategy is about building on the good practice which already exists in the Parish and seeks to ensure that the community of Bracebridge Heath has timely and relevant opportunities to engage with the council. This will underpin the council’s ambition to improve the delivery of local services and its vision to make a positive impact on life and work in the village.

1.4 Community engagement gives individuals, communities and partners a range of important benefits including:

• Developing a better understanding of and relationship with communities through genuine dialogue.
• Involving residents in public services and making sure their knowledge, experience and priorities shape those services, so they are more responsive to need.
• Helping people to establish an improved sense of neighbourhood and more cohesive communities.
• Engaging more people in local democracy.

1.5 This strategy outlines answers to the key questions of how we should communicate, when we should communicate and to whom we should communicate. It gives direction on the production of online, print, traditional news media, internal and other communication activity.

2. Vision

2.1 That the people of Bracebridge Heath including residents, businesses and other stakeholders, have a clear understanding of the council’s priorities, operations and challenges and that they recognise the council as a reputable and forward-looking local government organisation.

2.2 That the people of Bracebridge Heath have opportunities to engage with the council in order to help shape the services and development of the council’s activities.

2.3 We will achieve this vision by communicating with the public we serve, the people we employ and the local authorities, groups and businesses we work with. This will be done through regular communication with relevant stakeholders via a range of communication channels, targeting the audience and method of communication appropriately.

3. The principles of engagement and communication

3.1 Engagement principles:

• Objectives – There will be clear objectives for engagement, to communicate openly about decisions and actions and the reasons for them
• Accessibility - seek to reach communities and individuals not yet engaged
• Diversity of media –

            - The council will recognise and value existing channels of communication and work to make these as effective as possible.

            - A range of flexible methods will be used, avoiding reliance on one route, the council will make use of innovative and creative ways using social media where appropriate.

3.2 Communication principles:

• Accurate information - All efforts should be made to ensure accuracy at the time of production. Updates and corrections should be made where errors have occurred.
• Delivers key messages - Information should relate to key policy and principles of the council. It should primarily relate to council matters.
• Accessible to all - Channels should be mixed to cover diverse groups and their needs, including a mixture of one and two way channels to ensure the council achieves a balance between broadcasting and listening.  
• Plain language used - Information should be clear and straight forward. Key points should be emphasised.
• Appropriate timing - Communication should happen in good time to allow others to react. It should be regular and an ongoing process.
• Appropriate quality of design and production – Consistent style and quality, upholding high standards of writing, production and dissemination and maintaining a professional image.
• Appropriate branding used - Make it clear who the information is coming from by adhering to the same consistent styles.
• Review and evaluate - Monitor all channels to see what is or is not successful. Seek to improve output, engagement and learn from poor practises to communicate better.
• Feedback - Include survey questions in questionnaires to gauge opinion on communication and reputation. Inform respondents what will be done with the feedback.
• All communication will comply with the Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity (2011) published by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

4. Who we communicate with

4.1 A stakeholder is a person, group or organisation that has an interest in the success of the council or can be affected by the council’s actions, objectives and policies. Bracebridge Heath Parish Council works with employees, individuals, partner organisations and groups to achieve its vision for the local area.

5. How we communicate

5.1 A diverse range of channels will be used to communicate. Channels are defined as being the medium by which information is sent and received. Stakeholders have varying needs and will often require different channels of communication.

6. What we communicate

6.1 One of the communication principles is the requirement of relevant information. Relevancy is determined by the needs of specific stakeholders. Information they may need to receive from the council might include:

The public and local groups

• Parish council services and facilities and how to access them
• How the parish council works
• Parish council documents and meeting information
• Historical content about the village
• Local events, activities and groups
• Who to contact about which service
• How to give feedback, such as raising an issue or complaint
• Contact information of the parish council, elected members and partner organisations
• Newly enacted parish council decisions or policy proposals.
• How to access and apply for grants from the parish council

Partner Councils and Organisations

• Changes to services
• Planning application views and opinions
• Legally required notifications, such as Building Control Plan following a project
• Police reports

Regional and National Media

• Press releases of interesting and informative stories
• Advertise local events
• Interact with journalists on a breaking story affecting Bracebridge Heath

7. The decision to communicate

7.1 Day to day information arising from within the parish council, such as facility hours changes/closures, staff changes, meetings advertisements, policy announcements, newsletter articles etc can be approved and uploaded at the discretion of the Clerk and Deputy Clerk.

7.2 At the Clerk or Deputy Clerk’s discretion, information from outside bodies will be distributed through the council’s channels of communication. This will ordinarily be through posters on noticeboards and within the Community Hub and Library. Outside bodes may include user groups, local groups, other councils or businesses. There is no automatic right for such information to be published by the council and a decision to publish will be based on its usefulness, legality and quality.

7.3 For contentious matters, the council will agree a public statement for publication. Between meetings or in response to any urgent matters, the clerk shall prepare a statement in consultation with the chairman of the council.

7.4 For planned public consultations, the materials and type of communication shall be determined by the Full Council. This might apply to consultations about a change in services or facilities.

8. Who communicates

8.1 Everyone communicates at the parish council in some form and so an understanding and application of the communication principles is necessary to improve the flow of information and the overall reputation of the council. The key people communicating are:

8.2 The Clerk and Deputy Clerk

8.2.1 The Clerk and Deputy Clerk will identify opportunities to communicate relevant information to the public and will support other council staff, councillors and volunteers in their planned communication activities to ensure consistent quality of information, publication and branding.

8.2.2They have responsibility for the website, Facebook page and submission of news articles to Heath Cliff View, and will help others on the parish notice boards, regional and national media, exhibitions, surveys and consultations.

8.3 Other staff, councillors and volunteers

8.3.1 Other representatives of the council, when communicating with members of the public and other local groups through e-mail, phone calls or face to face, should uphold the communications principles and communicate in a clear, informative manner. Other staff, councillors and volunteers should help in so far as possible to resolve an issue or forward them on to the appropriate member of staff.

9. Evaluation

9.1 Evaluation of this strategy should be carried out from time to time to ensure that the council’s methods of communication and its engagement activities are suitable and fit for purpose.

9.2 Some forms of social media and the website provide analytical data which might inform the council about how a specific channel is performing.

9.3 A broader way of evaluating is to request feedback directly from residents through a survey. This might be carried out every few years to help the council understand its strengths and weaknesses in communicating and engaging with its stakeholders.