Fenland District Council
we’re committed to changing
things for the better
relations
in practice
Fenland
CAMBRIDGESHIRE
This document aims to provide a
framework for external communications
with the public and media.
Media Relations
The council's PR activities aim to:increase awareness of all council activities
increase the opportunity for the local
community to have a say in matters that affect
them
provide timely and accurate press information
for the media
develop an open approach to the access of
public information.
The council aims to communicate in a simple and
clear manner to enable all stakeholders to
understand any issues that affect them and have an
opportunity to consider them.
Officers should consider the audience and how
best to communicate with them. Prior to any new
communication activity, all relevant parties involved
should be briefed, this includes members,
colleagues and any partner organisations related
to the project.
Remember to be proactive. For example each of
the following are PR opportunities:Council public meetings, conferences &
exhibitions
Reports, strategies and action plans detailing
new council procedures, services and
projects
Consultation initiatives and activities
New funding announcements and awards
Results of surveys conducted by the council.
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All media requests should be
directed to the communications
team, who will assist all media
contacts with their reporting by
providing information and making
arrangements for them to speak to
the appropriate Members and
Officers.
Both Members and Officers are
requested to respond to all press
enquiries as promptly as possible to
help achieve media deadlines.
Where assistance cannot be given,
this should also be made known as
soon as possible.
Regular News
Features
The council has a dedicated page
‘The Fenland Eye Weekly’ in a local
newspaper that provides the
opportunity to communicate latest
council developments and also
Councillor profiles on a regular
basis.
If you have any articles you would
like featured please contact the
communications team on Ext: 2257
or 2429.
Interviews
Press Releases
The communication of council information
issued across the media.
The process for the development and issue of all
Press Releases is as follows:-
1.
Officers are requested to inform the
communication team of the news item by
providing all the key information to include:‘Who, what, why, where and when’.
2.
Officers suggest additional contacts who
could provide quotes and any photographs
to accompany the release. The
communications team will endeavour to
assist with providing these if help is required.
3.
All press releases will include an approved
quote from the relevant Portfolio
Holder where possible.
4.
Releases will be widely distributed across
media. The date of issue will be agreed by
both the officer and the communications
team.
5.
The press circulation list will be agreed by
both the Officer and the communications
team.
6.
All press releases will be approved by the
Head of Policy and Communications,
Marketing Manager or where necessary
relevant Director, and the relevant Service
Manager.
7.
Press releases will also be available from the
council's website.
8.
Internal Distribution. Press releases will be
sent to all staff and Members on the email
system and will also be available to all staff
via the intranet.
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Interviews with Members or
Officers, conducted by the
media, on a specific issue
related to Council business.
The process for interviews is as
follows:-
1.
In response to media
requests, the
communications team will
assist with identifying the
right representative/s and
scheduling an interview to
meet media deadlines.
2.
Officers and Members are
encouraged to allocate
time to conduct interviews
following the issue of the
appropriate press release.
The communications team
will also help with
promoting interview
opportunities with the
media.
.
3.
The communications team
will provide those to be
interviewed with a brief and
will assist with developing
supporting information.
Press Enquiries
Incoming media requests to the council seeking
a response to a specific issue.
The process for dealing with all Press Enquiries and
issuing responses is as follows:1.
1.
All press enquiries should be directed
through the communications team.
2.
2.
The communications team will register the
request and investigate the issue in
question with officers, to develop a clear
response.
3.
When appropriate the communications
team will also contact the relevant
Councillor/Portfolio Holder to include a
quote/additional information. The direct
contact details for the lead Officer will be
included in the ‘for further information’
section of the pres release enabling
reporters to be able to discuss any further
enquiries regarding the release with the
Officer.
3.
4.
4.
If the response includes a partner
organisation, the lead Officer, will inform
the partner organisation of the press
enquiry.
5.
5.
Where the response relates to legal matters,
or items that may be exempt information,
the legal team will be consulted for their
advice to ensure the response is appropriate.
6.
The final response will be approved by the
Head of Policy and Communications, and/or
the Director.
6.
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7.
In the event that the
Manager and Director are
Not available, the response
will be approved by a
member of the Corporate
Management Team. This
aims to ensure responses
meet media deadlines.
8.
The final response will be
issued only to the
requestee.
9.
The communications team
will assist Members with
media responses if required.
Members are advised to keep
the PR Officer or Head of
Policy and Communications
informed of press responses
given directly to the media.
Members and
10. When
Managers discuss responses
directly with the media, they
are advised to communicate
how the issue relates to the
Council’s aims and objectives
where appropriate.
Features
The development of a specific themed article,
featuring the council or partnership activity,
placed with one particular media that has
requested interest in the said subject.
1.
2.
The communications team will request
advance feature topics from relevant
publications as appropriate and will consider
whether there are any opportunities for the
council to develop a feature.
The communications team will also respond
to media requests for specific feature themes
by identifying the right representatives and
facilitating the development of the feature.
3.
The appropriate Director and Portfolio
Holder/Member will be kept informed and
encouraged to contribute to the feature.
4.
Features may demonstrate best practice
and can include reference to a customer's
experience and testimonial of a particular
service, as long as the customer's permission
has been granted prior to publication.
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Council
Meetings
All meetings that are open to the
public.
The promotion of Council Meetings
is conducted as follows:-
1.
Officer and Members are
requested to keep the
communications team
informed of all future dates,
to assist with media
invitations to attend.
2.
A list of council meeting
dates will be available on the
council’s web-site and also
available in print copy form,
from the democratic services
team.
3.
The communications team
will aim to issue press
releases relating to items
discussed where there is
likely to be high media
interest, the day following
the meeting.
Council Reports
Events
Events include conferences, launching new
initiatives, formal openings and celebrations of
completing important community projects.
The promotion of events is conducted as follows:-
1.
All council events are an opportunity to
inform the public and press. The
media should be invited to attend.
2.
Officers and Members are requested to give
the communications team a minimum of
two weeks notice of all events to provide
advance publicity.
3.
Press releases, information packs and
interviews will be developed to support the
promotion of events.
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Council reports and papers that
provide information regarding
proposed policies, procedures
and performance, and that are
within the public domain, are
distributed to all local media.
The process for issuing Council
Reports is as follows:-
1.
Agenda items and reports for
council meetings are
normally circulated to all
local media 5 workings days
before the meeting.
2.
All council papers should be
provided to the
communications team as
soon as possible to allow
sufficient time for the
development of P.R.
opportunities.
Key Points from the ‘Code of
Recommended Practice for
Local Authority Publicity’
The code outlines the main purposes of local
authority publicity. They are to:
increase public awareness of the services
provided by the authority and the functions it
performs;
to allow local people to have a real and
informed say about issues that affect them;
to explain to electors and ratepayers the
reasons for particular policies and priorities;
and
to improve local accountability.
Promotional publicity may be appropriate to enable
social, economic and environmental well being of
the district. In addition to promoting:Sports and Leisure facilities
Tourist attractions
The code recognises that local
authority newspapers, leaflets, other
publicity distributed unsolicited from
house to house and information on
websites are able to reach far wider
audiences than publicity available
on application to the council.
Councils should give particular
consideration to the use of electronic
and other new media
communication systems.
However, councils should ensure
that they do not rely solely on such
mechanisms and that they do not
exclude those without access or
easy access to such systems.
The advantage of using websites and
other information technology for
consultations should also be
considered.
Inevitably such publications will
touch on controversial issues and
where they do they should treat
such issues in an objective and
informative way.
Economic Development
Publicity relating to the provision of a service
should concentrate on providing factual
information about the service.
Information and publicity produced by the council
should be made available to all those who want or
need it.
Slogans alone will not be an adequate means of
justifying or explaining the authority's views or their
policy decisions.
Where material is distributed on matters closely
affecting vulnerable sections of the community - for
example, the elderly - particular care should be
taken to ensure that it is unambiguous, readily
intelligible, and unlikely to cause needless
concern to those reading, seeing or listening to it.
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Where it is important for
information to reach a particular
target audience, consideration
should be given to using the
communications networks of other
bodies, for example those of
voluntary organisations, and
making use of electronic
communication systems.
Fenland District Council
Communications Regulations
Freedom of Information
Act 2000
From 1 January 2005 this Act will allow anyone
from anywhere in the world to ask to see any
information held by public authorities (which
includes Fenland District Council).
Anyone requesting information will be entitled to
be informed within 20 working days (a) whether
the Council holds that information, and, if so, (b) to
be given that information, providing the request
meets certain conditions and, if not, to receive a
statement outlining the reasons why the request
cannot be met.
The Council is able to recoup a proportion of the
costs involved in providing information to individual
requests. By 1 January the Council will have
policies and procedures in place to ensure
compliance.
The Director of Central Services has been charged
with the responsibility for ensuring that the Council
is able to undertake its legal obligations on 1
January 2005.
Planning
A list of all planning applications received by the
authority is issued on a weekly basis to the local
media. The Development Services Manager is
responsible for issuing press responses on specific
press enquiries relating to planning matters.
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Overview and
Scrutiny
The Council takes a pro-active role
in publicising the work of the
Overview and Scrutiny Panel.
Media statements and interviews on
Overview and Scrutiny Panel matters
will be made by the chair of the
Overview and Scrutiny Panel or their
substitute (usually the vice-chair).
Media statements and interviews on
Overview and Scrutiny reports will
be made by the chair of the Review
Team conducting the Review, and
the chair of the Overview and
Scrutiny Panel or their substitute.
Where a minority report is released
by a member or members of an
Overview and Scrutiny Panel, media
statements will be the responsibility
of those issuing the report.
Where the communications team is
asked to draft press releases/letters
on behalf of Overview and Scrutiny,
such releases/letters will be of a
factual nature and will contain
nothing that could be constructed as
politically motivated or biased.
All official Overview and Scrutiny
press releases will be issued by the
communications team in the
standard format.
Data Protection Act
1998
The Data Protections Act imposes restrictions on the
publication of “personal data”, that is, information
from which individuals can be identified. In most
circumstances, therefore, it is not advisable to
publish personal information about individuals
without their prior approval. Please refer to the
authorities Data Protection Policy.
Elections
For a period of one month before an election is due
to take place, the council will cease to issue press
releases which quote members of a political party,
or address issues of political sensitivity. Instead,
press releases will address any
pre-planned promotion of existing council policy,
use Officer quotes and contain contact details of
each of the party spokespersons on that subject as
appropriate.
Press releases dealing with promotion of purely
operational issues will be produced in the normal
way featuring only Officer quotes. Proactive events
arranged in this period should not involve members
likely to be standing for election.
Political Representation
Political statements will be sourced directly from
appropriate Councillors and not from Officers.
Officers of all grades are politically impartial in
relation to council business. Officers must also be
mindful of their obligations if their post is politically
restricted. Officer input on party groups will not
extend beyond providing input and advice on
matters of council business, as set out in the
Council’s Codes of Conduct.
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Councillor
Publicity
Publicity about individual councillors
may include the contact details, the
positions they hold in the council
and their responsibilities.
Publicity must be relevant to the
Councillor’s position and their
responsibilities within the council.
Publicity may also include
information about individual
councillor’s proposals, decisions and
recommendations only where this is
relevant to their position and
responsibilities within the council.
All such publicity should be objective
and explanatory and, whilst it may
acknowledge the part played by
individual councillors as holders of
particular positions in the council,
personalisation of issues or personal
image making should be avoided.
Local Government
(Access to Information) Act 1985
Descriptions
of Exempt Information
1.
2.
Information relating to a particular
employee, former employee or applicant to
become an employee of, or a particular
office-holder, former office-holder or
applicant to become an office-holder under,
the authority.
Information relating to a particular
employee, former employee or applicant to
become an employee of, or a particular
officer, former officer or applicant to become
an officer appointed by (a)
(b)
a magistrates' court committee, within
the meaning of Section 19 of the
Justices of the Peace Act 1979; or
a probation committee appointed
under paragraph 2 of Schedule 3 to
the Powers of Criminal Courts Act
1973.
3.
Information relating to any particular
occupier or former occupier of, or applicant
for, accommodation provided by or at the
expense of the authority.
4.
Information relating to any particular
applicant for, or recipient or former
recipient of, any service provided by the
authority.
5.
Information relating to any particular
applicant for, or recipient or former
recipient of, any financial assistance
provided by the authority.
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6.
Information relating to the
adoption, care, fostering or
education of any particular
child.
7.
Information relating to the
financial or business affairs
of any particular person
(other than the authority).
8.
The amount of any
expenditure proposed to be
incurred by the authority
under any particular contract
for the acquisition of
property or the supply of
goods or services.
9.
Any terms proposed or to be
proposed by or to the
authority in the course of
negotiations for an contract
for the acquisition or disposal
of property or the supply of
goods or services.
10.
The identity of the authority
(as well as of any other
person, by virtue of
paragraph 7 above) as the
person offering any particular
tender for a contract for the
supply of goods or services.
Continued:
11.
Information relating to any consultations or
negotiations, or contemplated consultations
or negotiations, in connection with any
labour relations matter arising between the
authority or a Minister of the Crown and
employees of, or office-holders under, the
authority.
12.
Any instructions to counsel and any opinion
of counsel (whether or not in connection
with any proceedings) and any advice
received, information obtained or action to
be taken in connection with -
(a)
any legal proceedings by or against the
authority, or
the determination of any matter affecting the
authority, (whether, in either case,
proceedings have been commenced or are
in contemplation).
(b)
13.
Information which, if disclosed to the public,
would reveal that the authority proposes -
(a)
to give under any enactment a notice under
or by virtue of which requirements are
imposed on a person; or
to make an order or direction under any
enactment.
(b)
14.
Any action taken or to be taken in
connection with the prevention, investigation
or prosecution of crime.
15.
The identity of a protected informant.
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Fenland
CAMBRIDGESHIRE
Communications Team
E: [email protected]
T: 01354 622257 or 01354 622429
Fenland District Council, Fenland Hall, County Road, March, Cambridgeshire, PE15 8NQ