Issue - meetings

To receive and consider report 76/07 of the Strategic Director and Monitoring Officer. 

Introduction and Report Summary

This report proposes the adoption of the communications strategy for the Vale as part of the Corporate Priority “Improving internal and external communications”. The strategy needs to be adopted to move the priority forwards.

The strategy is based on information from the Senior Management Team and their service areas, the staff and Member survey and the public general satisfaction survey completed last financial year by polling company Ipsos MORI as part of the Best Value Performance Indicator requirement.  The strategy is built from the position of where we are now and what we aim to achieve over the next three years. The communications policy is an inherent part of this.

The contact officer for this report is Nikki Malin, Head of Communications, telephone (01235 540376).  Email address nikki.malin@whitehorsedc.gov.uk

Recommendations

(a)              that the Executive approve in principle the draft strategy to implement the Communications policy to be recommended to Council;

(b)              that the following policy which underpins the communications strategy is recommended for adoption by Council:

“The Council will adopt and implement a Communications Strategy which aims to safeguard and continuously improve:

§                     Customer satisfaction

§                     Involvement, engagement and information flow with staff and the community

§                     The Vale’s reputation

§                     The Vale’s website” 

(Time: 3.52pm to 3.59pm)

The Executive received and considered report 76/07 of the Strategic Director and Monitoring Officer, which proposed the adoption of the communications strategy for the Vale as part of the corporate priority to improve internal and external communications.  The strategy was based on information from the Senior Management Team and the service areas, the staff and Member survey and the public general satisfaction survey completed last financial year by polling company Ipsos MORI, as part of the Best Value Performance Indicator requirement.  The strategy was built from the Council's current position and its aims for the next three years. 

Members welcomed the strategy and congratulated the Communications Team for its hard work and success.  It was noted that since the introduction of the team, the percentage of negative press the Council received was reducing.  However, Members asked that as part of the strategy efforts were made to make the Council’s website one of the best. 

R E C O M M E N D E D

(a)              that the draft strategy to implement the Communications Policy be approved in principle; and

(b)              that the following Communications Policy, which underpins the communications strategy, be adopted:

“The Council will adopt and implement a Communications Strategy which aims to safeguard and continuously improve:

§                     Customer satisfaction

§                     Involvement, engagement and information flow with staff and the community

§                     The Vale’s reputation

§                     The Vale’s website”