Report of the Head of Strategic Communications attached

The Committee considered the report of the Head of Strategic Communications that provided an update on the Council’s three-year communications strategy, to be adopted from April 2022.

Key points and themes in the report included:

·         The communications priorities for 2022/23;

·         The social media strategy implemented in 2021; and

·         Example of the monthly evaluation template.

Some of the key points that arose from the Committee’s discussions were: -

·         Did staff from the team work at weekends to deliver messages via social media, noting the importance of accurate civil contingency messaging;  

·         Was social media used to encourage residents to respond to consultations and used as a platform for people to submit detailed considered responses;

·         Would there be the ability for members of the public to upload photographs online when reporting issues or making a request for service to the Council;

·         More information was requested on the work of the translation service and calling for the need to promote the work of this service, particularly noting their work in supporting residents during the pandemic;

·         Noting that the issue of digital exclusion was an issue for many residents across the city; and

·         Did the service work with the Revenues and Benefits Unit.

The Head of Strategic Communications responded to the comments and questions by advising that colleagues did work at weekends; however he noted the specific concerns raised by the Member regarding the recent flooding events and advised that he would look into this following the meeting. He commented that the team worked closely with the local Neighbourhood Teams to assist them with the delivery of key messaging and communications. He advised that clear English and the approved accessibility standards were used in the delivery of communications, adding that they did work with the Revenues and Benefit Unit. 

The Head of Strategic Communications recognised the importance of the translation service in delivering this work, particularly during the pandemic and the work underway across the city to address health inequalities, adding that they were integral to the successful delivery of front-line services. He further made reference to their work when helping support recent arrivals to the city, most recently from Afghanistan. He advised that there were over 200 languages spoken in the city, and the service engaged with local sounding boards to ensure the service responded to the needs of the residents in the city. He suggested that the Committee might wish to consider scheduling a specific report on the work of the translation service.

The Head of Strategic Communications stated that all direct correspondence from residents to the Council via social media was monitored and where appropriate referred to the relevant teams for attention or action. He stated that digital conversations across a range of platforms were reviewed to understand the nature of these conversations that were relevant to the organisation. With reference to consultations, he advised that these had to comply with specific legal guidance.  

The Head of Strategic Communications spoke on the issue of digital exclusion and made reference to the range of information and advice that was provided off line. He further discussed the work to improve digital access with both schools and the libraries service. In addition, he mentioned the relationships established with local health providers as a means of strengthening the reach from the Council to vulnerable groups. 

The Head of Customer Services advised that the implementation of the RBDXP system, due to be implemented from the summer of 2023 to replace the Council’s current CRM system would allow for residents to upload photographs, noting that the current system did not support that function. He further added that this would also be linked to a GPS system to assist with the accurate identification of locations where there was a request for service. He further advised that the possibility of sending a response photograph to demonstrate what action had been taken would be explored.

Decision

The Committee notes the report.