A council says it plans to use influencers in order to improve communications with communities in Lichfield and Burntwood.
A report to an overview and scrutiny committee meeting at Lichfield District Council has revealed how proposed changes to the communications department at the local authority going forward.
The session will hear about plans to move the team in future to a commercial company operated by the local authority – in the same way as the proposed management of leisure centres will be switched.
A report to the meeting said the new-look communications team would stop or do less “responding to press stories wanting evidence to feed their own narratives” in favour of “engaging with influencers to extend the reach of stories”.
“Our internal communications function has under-performed for several years and this is evidenced, in part, by the levels of overall satisfaction and trust in the council, along with residents’ perceptions of how the council keeps them well informed about our services.
“We have struggled to attract and retain staff with the appropriate skills and experience to build a modern and future-proofed communications function.”
Lichfield District Council report
The council brought in external communications support on an interim basis in March 2022.
The report said:
“Significant progress has been made since the introduction of the interim external support.
“The team today is proactive and willing to market what the council is doing. The team now meets in a daily ‘buzz session’ to ensure appropriate prioritisation of work and allocation of resource and skills.
“We have increased digital engagement through the development of interactive blogs, podcasts, and the use of video to build audiences in new platforms including YouTube, TikTok and Instagram to reach a wider audience.”
Lichfield District Council report
“Build a stronger council brand”
The report said the change to a communications team in the commercial arm of the council would help generate income and allow the council to reach younger audiences.
“Experience shows us a retained service ‘in house’ does not have the flexibility and capability to change and adapt, introduce new technologies and engage successfully with our communities.
“Conversely, the interim externalised support introduced in March has started to make a positive impact. We are beginning to develop an effective communications strategy, to ‘market’ the council and build a stronger council brand.
“We also need to engender an environment where commercial opportunities can be explored, to release some of the financial pressures on the council and where we can offer roles and personal development opportunities which can attract and retain skilled staff.
“It is understood there are several income opportunities for the service which are already successfully exploited by other councils which will assist to both reduce the financial cost of the service to the council and to generate additional income for the investment in the service going forward.”
Lichfield District Council report
The report will be discussed at the overview and scrutiny committee meeting on 8th February.
