Let’s talk - Stevenage · more satisfied they feel. The Communities and Local Government report...

Let’s talkStevenage Borough Council

Corporate Communications Strategy

Corporate Communications Strategy 2

Contents Let’s Talk, Councillor Sharon Taylor, Leader of Stevenage Borough Council 3

Stevenage Borough Council Co-operative Council Principles 4

Our pledge and purpose 5

The Strategy in context 6

Our Corporate Communications Strategy 7

Who are our stakeholders? 8

How do we communicate? 9

What do we communicate? 10

Evaluation 11

Appendix A – Corporate Communications Team service standards 12

Appendix B – Media enquiry form 14

Appendix C – Press release approvals form 15

Appendix D – Communications plan template 16


Let’s talkCommunications is at the centre of everything we do.Through successful communication, we are able to deliverthe services that are important to our residents, anddevelop good working relationships with many of ourpartners in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

This strategy outlines how we manage our communicationsactivities. It will help us to ensure that communicationbetween us and the people and organisations that wecome into contact with – our stakeholders – is alwaysappropriate. In this way, we hope that everyone is keptinformed about the council’s policies, activities and events,and that you know how to share your ideas and opinionswith us.

Because we understand that the ways in which we communicate will probably changeduring that time, we have built some flexibility into our plans. We are formalising our useof social media here, and recognising the importance of new media withoutcompromising our use of traditional communication methods. There are some situationswhere a fast, immediate dialogue is most appropriate and others where a face-to-facemeeting will give everyone the best result.

We have had many years of successful two-way communications. Our strong mutuallinks with residents and community groups are testament to this - people know how tofind us, and we’re generally good at reaching the people that we need to. We know thatwe must continue to develop and improve and, with this strategy we are demonstratingour commitment to clear and consistent communications that meet our needs and thoseof all our stakeholders.

Councillor Sharon Taylor

Leader of Stevenage Borough Council

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Stevenage Borough Council Co-operative Council PrinciplesStevenage Borough Council’s co-operative principles promote and support the closeworking relationships the council has with the town’s residents and organisations.

As a Co-operative Council, Stevenage embraces the support and partnership oforganisations and residents. We work with people that use council services to exploredifferent ways of providing and managing those services to the mutual benefit ofeveryone involved.

Our co-operative principles are:

• The Council as a strong community leader

• Working together with the community and other agencies to provide services basedon needs

• Communities empowered to design and deliver services and play an active role intheir local community

• A clear understanding between the Council and our communities - this is what we do,this is what we will help you to do

• Joined up and accessible services that offer value for money and focus on thecustomer.

All of our communications activities will be carried out in line with these principles.



Our pledge and purposeThe Corporate Communications Strategy supports the co-operative council principles,and communicates the council’s aims and achievements to all stakeholders.

Our Communications pledge:

We will communicate clearly, openly, accurately and regularly with our residents, with ourpartners, and with each other, in order to promote mutual understanding, and give abetter service to the people of Stevenage.

The purpose of the Communications Strategy is:

To establish and maintain clear and relevant two-way channels of communication inorder to create an informed and recognisable profile for Stevenage Borough Council anda positive image of the town as a whole.

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The Strategy in contextResearch shows that the better informed people are about their council services, themore satisfied they feel. The Communities and Local Government report (Perceptions ofLocal Government in England 2006) provided strong evidence to suggest that clearlywritten, honest and transparent communications help to build trust among residents.Good communications therefore can lead to more effective services, a better reputationand stronger relationships.

In our most recent residents’ survey (conducted by Opinion Research Services in autumn2009) nearly four fifths of respondents (79%) said that they felt well informed about theservices and benefits provided by Stevenage Borough Council. While this indicates ahigh satisfaction level, it also demonstrates that there is room for improvement.

Paragraph 4 of the Code Of Recommended Practice On Local Authority Publicity 2011 says:

‘Publicity by local authorities should:

• be lawful • be cost-effective • be objective • be even-handed • be appropriate • have regard to equality and diversity • be issued with care during periods of heightened sensitivity’.


Our Corporate Communications Strategy This strategy explains how we plan to communicate with our stakeholders over the next threeyears.

The purpose of the Communications Strategy is:

To establish and maintain clear and relevant two-way channels of communication in order tocreate an informed and recognisable profile for Stevenage Borough Council and a positiveimage of the town as a whole.

A successful strategy will enable us to:

• Maintain a culture of two-way communication with all our stakeholders• Keep Stevenage residents well informed• Raise awareness of the council’s vision• Address negative or potentially damaging information about council services• Support council staff in their roles as ambassadors for the organisation• Promote the council as an employer of choice• Support elected members in their role as community leaders• Reach all sections of the community• Keep abreast of technological developments and embrace them where feasible• Promote respect and trust between the council and its stakeholders• Raise the national profile of Stevenage

With all our communications activities our aims are to:

• Maintain a strong and consistent identity for the council • Raise awareness of council services in order to maximise access to them• Improve quality of life for communities throughout the town• Keep staff informed and promote understanding• Promote opportunities for residents, community groups and other stakeholders to engage

with the council – partnership working• Maintain high customer satisfaction levels with the council

We are committed to making all our communications activities:

• Two-way • Relevant and appropriate for their target audiences• Easily available, in different formats• Capable of being easily understood by all sectors of the community• Consistent• Honest and accountable• Timely.


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Who are our stakeholders?A stakeholder is a person, group, or organisation that can affect or be affected by anorganisation's actions, objectives, and policies. Stakeholders have varying needs anddifferent stakeholders are entitled to different considerations.

Stevenage Borough Council’s stakeholders include:

• Residents of Stevenage

• People and organisations who use the council’s services

• Stevenage Borough Council staff

• Stevenage businesses and their staff

• Schools and colleges in Stevenage

• Visitors to Stevenage

• Stevenage councillors

• The council’s partner organisations

• Regional and national media

• Voluntary groups

• Local organisations

• Our neighbouring local authorities

• Hertfordshire County Council


How do we communicate?We have a range of spoken and published methods through which we can communicatewith you, and you can communicate with us.

These include:

• Stevenage.gov.uk

• Chronicle magazine

• Regional and national media

• Twitter

• Facebook

• Email

• Our Customer Service Centre

• Meetings with council staff

• Our staff magazine intranet

• Our intranet

• Text message

• Council meetings

• Councillor surgeries

• Our staff magazine intranet

• Reports and policy documents

• Events

• Roadshows and displays.

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What do we communicate?

We engage with our various stakeholder groups about the council’s services andfacilities. Information is provided and requested on:

• What services the council provides

• Where and how to access these services

• Changes to these services

• How the council works

• Who local councillors are and what their role is

• Where and how the council can help and support stakeholders

• Where to go if we can’t help

• How stakeholders are or can become involved with the council’s services

• What the council’s policies are

• The co-operative council principles

• Council events and activities

• Events and activities in Stevenage

• How stakeholders can influence the council’s policies, plans and activities

• How to contact council officers and members

• How to provide feedback and opinions on different council policies, decisions, andactivities

• Who our partners are and how we work with them

• The council’s role in the wider community

• Successes.

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EvaluationWe will regularly monitor our communications activities in order to gauge their success.Where appropriate, we will adapt our methods and messages to ensure that we continueto meet our objectives.

We have in place formal measurement mechanisms for media relations (appendix 3).These are in line with communications best practice, and indicate our progress inpromoting positive media coverage of the council and the town.

We will continue to use the results of both formal and informal research to measureresidents’ satisfaction with the quality and quantity of information we provide.



Appendix A – Corporate Communications TeamService Standards

Corporate Communications Team staff are responsible for:

• Promoting council services• Improving the profile of the town • Communicating with staff and councillors.

Our media service

We deal with all requests/enquiries from journalists on behalf of staff and councillors.

Contact us:

By telephone: 01438 242168 or 242300 between 9am and 5pm Monday to FridayBy email: [email protected] facebookOn twitterFace to face in Daneshill House, Danestrete, StevenageTextphone: 01438 242555 8am to 6pm

Journalists can expect us to:

• Foster a cooperative, mutually beneficial relationship • Treat them with courtesy and respect• Regard them as partners in providing people with timely, accurate information• Make every effort to assist them with their requests/enquiries.

We expect journalists to:

• Treat our staff with courtesy and respect • Report fairly and accurately on stories about the council and the town• Give the council a reasonable opportunity to provide them with facts and respond to

views or accusations in opposition to the council.

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We will:

• Where possible, answer media requests / enquiries within their specified deadline• Inform journalists if the deadline will not be met• If appropriate, provide a spokesperson for statements and television and radio

interviews• Include contact details for further information in all news releases, statements and

invites• Place news releases and statements on our website: stevenage.gov.uk and alerts on

our social networking sites• Where possible, provide quality photographs to accompany news stories.

If you are unhappy with the service you have received from the CorporateCommunications Team you have a right to complain - you can:

• Telephone the Communications Manager, on 01438 242168• Refer to our complaints procedure on our website: stevenage.gov.uk/complaints• Ask to speak to a manager in the Customer Service Centre • Complete a complaints form, available from the Customer Service Centre• Email your complaint to: [email protected]• Put your complaint in a letter.



Appendix B – Media enquiry form

Name of reporter

Publication/TV/Radio

programme

Telephone number

Email

Enquiry received on (date)

(time)

Message taken by

Nature of enquiry

Deadline

Response as follows

Approved by

Responded on (date)

(time)

15Corporate Communications Strategy

Appendix C – Press release approvals form

Press release title:

Draft completed

Photo included?

Officer approval:

Sent

Received

Executive member approval:

Sent

Received

SMB approval:

Sent

Received

Any other approval:

Sent

Received

Comms final check

Photo available

Sent internally

Posted on website

Issued to: Taken up?


Appendix D - Communications plan templateBackground

Provide a brief analysis explaining the context in which the communications will takeplace. Outline what events or actions have occurred to give rise to this planned activity.How does this fit with other relevant communications activities?

Aim and objectives

The aim should clearly follow from the background above. Objectives should be clear,concise and achievable outcomes that are capable of being measured. How theobjectives align with major council policy frameworks, or communicationspriorities/themes.

Target audience

The communications activity should be able to identify a clearly defined audience or setof audiences and demonstrate how the objectives relate to each.

Audience needs should be considered.

Key messages

What are the key facts, thoughts or ideas that this activity seeks to get across?

Methods/tools/media

What elements comprise the communications activity? What media/tools will be used?

Budget

What is the total cost of this activity and what is the breakdown of costs by activity?

Timings

When is this activity likely to begin? Over what period will it continue? What otherrelevant council activities or events will coincide with this activity?

Evaluation

How will this activity be measured against its objectives? What are the criteria for success?

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