To consider the progress made in relation to the Communications Strategy actions.

13.1           Attention was drawn to the report of the Corporate Services Group Manager, circulated at Pages No. 85-115, which asked Members to consider the progress made in relation to the Communications Strategy Review actions.

13.2           The Communications Team Leader explained that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee had helped to develop the Communications Strategy through a workshop on 17 March 2014 and the Strategy had subsequently been approved by the Executive Committee on 30 April 2014.  It had been agreed that the Strategy should be reviewed on an annual basis in order to ensure that there was effective monitoring of the actions which had been identified in the Strategy.  A review of the actions for year one of the Strategy was attached at Appendix 2 to the report and it was noted that the majority of actions were either complete or ongoing into year two.  Two of the actions were marked as ‘partly complete’: undertake a baseline assessment of communications and graphics to explore opportunities for shared working; and work with the Community Development team to improve communications with the Borough’s hard-to-reach groups.  Members were advised that the baseline assessment had been completed and submitted to the Corporate Leadership Team, however, the opportunities for shared working had not yet been explored as the team was currently under review as part of the restructure of the Chief Executive’s Unit.  In terms of hard-to-reach groups, a young people’s column had been introduced in the Tewkesbury Borough News, however, no other work had been undertaken and the Communications team would need to focus on this action during year two.  The Communications Team Leader went on to indicate that she intended to arrange a seminar on communications for all Members which would include discussions as to how communications could be improved and how Members could help to promote the Borough.  In addition, media training would be provided for Members and she would circulate details as soon as they were available.

13.3           Several Members indicated that they would welcome media training and it was suggested that this may also be beneficial to Parish Councils, particularly in terms of social media and responding to negative posts from members of the public.  The Chief Executive explained that himself and the Communications Team Leader put a lot of effort into liaising with the media to protect the Borough Council’s reputation and to ensure that reports about the Council were fair.  Social media was very different as people were largely free to say whatever they wanted and training for Borough Councillors would be very important in that regard.  It was down to Parish Councils to decide how to approach social media and this was something which could be raised at the Town and Parish Council seminars, which were held biannually, and promoted in the Parish Matters newsletter.

13.4           A Member raised concern that the Borough was covered by two different local newspapers, the Gloucestershire Echo and the Citizen, however, the Citizen did not tend to report on issues within Tewkesbury Borough.  The Communications Team Leader explained that both newspapers did tend to run stories which were Borough-wide, however, she did have to make additional effort with the Citizen to ensure that was the case.  Once the restructure of the Chief Executive’s Unit was complete, there would be extra capacity within the Communications team to assist with such issues.

13.5           It was

RESOLVED          That the progress made in relation to the Communications Strategy actions be NOTED.