, welcome to the ParishCouncil.net Discussion Forum   »   Log in


November 2005 - Promoting the work of the Parish Council

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    ParishCouncil.net Forum Index -> Talk about our Newsletter items
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
connie_claridge
Newbie
Newbie


Joined: 09 Nov 2005
Posts: 1
Location: Central London

PostPosted: Wed Nov 09, 2005 4:47 pm    Post subject: November 2005 - Promoting the work of the Parish Council Reply with quote

How to promote the work and services of your Parish Council?
by Corrie Claridge :: November 2005



Parish Councils are wonderful institutions. The work that they do is wide and varied, and the Parish Councillors are unpaid and do it for the love of the local area. In short, they are a marvel of democracy and public service. However, how many members of the public really know about what Parish Councils do? How many know of the work that they do or of the huge amounts of time that is spent doing it? Too few people I imagine!

Many Parish Councillors and Clerks would presumably think that this is fine, and that they do not want too many people questioning and hassling them when they are doing an often difficult job for little or no money. However, I would say that this is the wrong approach. You are going to get a much worse reception from the local community if they feel that you are spending precepts of tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of their money every year without knowing where it is going and what it is being spent on. Openess and free communication is definately the way forward for Parish Councils.

So, how do you communicate with the local community and let them know what work you are doing? I am sure that there are many people who want me to say that the way forward is to rely on hi-tech solutions like websites and email newsletters. Come to think of it, there are probably just as many people who would want me to say that the solution is to put flyers and posters on Parish News Boards. I am glad to please both these groups of people, because the answer is to use both these approaches.

Your community is varied and diverse. Unless it is a very strange village, each household will be made up of different age groups and demographics: old, young, professionals, labourers, hi-tech junkies and old-school luddites. The Internet is not for everyone, and neither is the notice board. You therefore need to have an approach to communication that goes beyond 'one or the other' and includes all people.

The Notice Board
I will be absolutely frank - there is nothing that I can add here. Parish Council notice boards have been around for donkey's years, and are a pretty simple idea. You have a notice, you put it up on the board. However, this does not mean to say that the notices have to be boring. Do not just add times of meetings and details of where people can get minutes etc. Embelish notices with short, weekly or monthly snippets of local history or facts that may interest readers. Perhaps a fortnightly competition or award notice. Put simply, add things that will make members of the community want to come back in a week or weeks (try not to have it more than this, as people are fickle, and will forget), and read more.

Hi-Tech
There is much more that can be done with Hi-Tech solutions, but the principle is still the same. I believe that Email Newsletters are the best way to get information out there to people. They can come to your website once, and then never visit it again. However, if they come to your website once and then register their email address, then you can keep communicating with them directly whenever you have some thing new to report.

In the private sector, there is great competition for people's attention of the Internet. However, local councils do not have the same problem to a degree. Therefore, you do not need to come up with flashy graphics or clever games that will get users hooked. You need to have a simple, clear and cleanly constructed website and you need to have people who are able to write informative, interesting and preferably witty newsletters.

Conclusion
I hope that I have given some insight into my perceived best way forward for Parish Councils. I am not a Parish Councillor myself, and I would love to know what Parish Councils are doing out there to get the message across, so please do respond using the ParishCouncil.net Forum. I look forward to reading and responding to your posts.

Connie Claridge
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
symonds
3 Star User
3 Star User


Joined: 20 Jul 2005
Posts: 18

PostPosted: Wed Nov 09, 2005 10:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Good points. However, one problem could be getting people to take note and visit the website in the first place.

Got any ideas on how this can be achieved?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
RsC
Newbie
Newbie


Joined: 13 Oct 2005
Posts: 4
Location: Peterborough. Cambridgeshire.

PostPosted: Thu Nov 10, 2005 9:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If your Parish Council produces a newsletter promotion of and a request to visit the site and register could be published there.
To encourage the initial site visit and registration some form of competition/quiz/prize could be offered, thereafter a link can be set up and automatically sent out to all registered email addresses each time your site is updated.
This link can take the recipient directly to the updated segment preventing a tedious scroll through the entire site.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
symonds
3 Star User
3 Star User


Joined: 20 Jul 2005
Posts: 18

PostPosted: Thu Nov 10, 2005 9:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

RsC wrote:
A link can be set up and automatically sent out to all collected email addresses each time your site is updated.
This link can take the recipient directly to the updated segment preventing a tedious scroll through the entire site.


I take this point regarding how to get people to visit the site when you already have their email address, but what I am really wondering about is how to get people to know about the website in the first place. Is it word of mouth, advertising in local press, putting it on the notice boards? Or, perhaps is it paying for advertising on the Internet, like Google or Yahoo?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
symonds
3 Star User
3 Star User


Joined: 20 Jul 2005
Posts: 18

PostPosted: Thu Nov 10, 2005 9:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I see the updated posting. Good ideas - I like these. Guess it means there is some milage still in the good old-fashioned paper newsletter!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
tom
3 Star User
3 Star User


Joined: 18 Nov 2005
Posts: 15

PostPosted: Fri Nov 18, 2005 1:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just a quick question regarding the use of competitions etc.

I noticed another post somewhere on this forum that had somthing about Parish Councils not being allowed to run competitions. Does anyone know if this is true, or are they allowed if we are trying to get more people to look at websites / take an active role in the running of the Council.

Some feedback would be useful.

Thanks,
Tom
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
stretpc
2 Star User
2 Star User


Joined: 29 Nov 2005
Posts: 8

PostPosted: Tue Nov 29, 2005 9:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I really do not see any problem with raising the profile of the work of the Council using a small competition or raffle. It is not as if we are giving away cars or holiday homes is it!?

If other councils are ANYTHING like my local council, then we need as many people to support us as possible, and something to grab their attention like the above is as good a way as any.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Joe Watson
Newbie
Newbie


Joined: 12 Jan 2006
Posts: 2

PostPosted: Thu Jan 12, 2006 10:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I beleive a nesletter is the best form of communicating to the electorate but can anyone recommend to me one that they have seen and liked I would like to get some ideas for our council
Thanks
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    ParishCouncil.net Forum Index -> Talk about our Newsletter items All times are GMT
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum