Engaging with the community 

Communication and Publicity

 The role of the Community Council is to act as the voice for their local area. This involves articulating the views and concerns of local people on a wide range of issues and concerns. Community Councils need to be able to present these views to Inverclyde Council, other public sector bodies and private agencies. To achieve this, Community Councils need to think carefully about not only how they communicate with different bodies but also how members of the public can share their concerns with the Community Council. The following tips will give Community Councils some ideas on how they can achieve this.

 Communication Tips:

  • Ensure your message is clear, concise and consistent;
  • Ensure you use different methods of communication to reach as many people as possible;
  • Be clear about who is responsible for communication, whether it is the same person or different people for different media and how much they can say without referring to the Community Council;
  • Be respectful of other people’s opinions
  • Ensure that members of the public can share their views with you easily.
  • If using social media sites ensure you have a policy in place to ensure that members of the public understand how you will deal with offensive / inappropriate posts.
  • Where possible use generic email accounts (eg communitycouncil@).
  • Ensure that the account has several administrators to allow continuity if a Community Councillor resigns.

 Consulting with your Community

 You have a responsibility to communicate with all the residents living in your community. You should do this regularly and effectively to be able to claim that you represent their views and needs, and not the personal opinions of Community Councillors. There are two parts to this duty – seeking their views and keeping them informed of your work as their elected representatives.

 Fulfilling it will immensely improve the service you give to the community. Here are some examples:

  •  Include main contact details in every piece of paper, email, etc that is issued by your Community Council. Always invite contact and encourage feedback.
  • Whenever possible, re-state the ways constituents can contact you. Make this as easy as possible for them.
  • Create a website, or social media accounts. Show the date, time and venue of meetings, and the agenda. Include the minutes of all previous meetings.
  • Collate a database of e-mail addresses for constituents. Ask for permission to send them e-mail bulletins seeking their views and reporting your actions.
  • Display Community Council contact details in all public buildings. Include information on what you do and how you can help.
  • Secure space in any local newsletters. Publicise your work, and invite comments.
  • Whenever you have a change of office bearers, please contact the Community Council Liaison Officer.
  • Find out what the communities’ priorities are. Be sure to include questions on the issues that will be important to your constituents in the future even if the details are not fully known.
  • Consider shorter, faster surveys on individual issues of significant local importance. The responses will be very important in helping you demonstrate how you speak for the community.
  • Hold public meetings (in the true sense – all meetings of Community Councils are by law open to the public) whenever there is an issue of sufficient local importance.
  • Place suggestion boxes in prominent, busy local venues. Leave pencil and paper for ease of use. Explain these are for citizens to make comments and/or suggestions on how to tackle a local issue or generally better the community. Always respond to comments left when the person gives contact details. Regularly report comments at full Community Council meetings.
  •  If possible, deliver flyers or leaflets door to door. This is also an excellent way for Community Councillors to get to know their constituents, and vice versa.
  • Word of mouth and informal personal contact is a common practice, and has its place. It is the least objective method of discovering the community’s views and should not be relied upon wholly when the Community Council make important decisions.

 

 Remember

 

  • Always make it easy for the public to contact you.
  •  Always seek comments and opinions from the Community.
  • Always evaluate your effectiveness or otherwise regularly by results.
  • Never let the personal opinions of individual Community Councillors replace the views of your Community.
  • Always adhere to the principles of the Councillors Code of Conduct.

 Representing your Community

 Communities want to see how their views are being reflected in the decisions made on their behalf by Community Councils. This can be achieved in a number of ways:

 

  • Minutes of Community Council meetings - minutes should accurately reflect the business at a meeting and the decisions that were reached. This decision should be made on the basis of known community opinion (evidenced where possible) to clearly show to both the local community and other outside bodies, such as the Local Authority, that the community have been listened to and their view(s) accurately reflected.
  • Community Council meetings - this is the clearest way for Community Councils to share the known views of the community and to demonstrate to those in attendance that they are being listened to.
  • Public (subject specific) meetings - where these reflect areas of local concern it demonstrates to the community that they are being listened to and consulted their concerns are being acknowledged and action taken where appropriate on their behalf
  • Newsletters/public notices – these are good means to engage and share information but also to gather local views and identify how local views have shaped the views/work of the Community Council.
  • Membership - encourage membership from across the geographical Community Council area reflecting the make-up of the community it represents.
  • Communication channels - a Community Council should make sure that it has the communication channels in places to pass on local opinion to decision makers. Examples of communication media include notice boards, local shops, suggestion boxes and on the internet.
  • Consultation - it is important for Community Councils to represent local views through various mechanisms including consultations where possible.
  • All information produced should be available as widely as possible and easily accessible. It is also important that the Community Council seeks out the most effective ways to engage with the residents. Members of the public can inform the Community Council of points which they would like to be discussed and make their views known.
  • When establishing views, Community Councillors should canvass local opinion but be careful not to be perceived as orchestrating campaigns unless endorsed by the Community. Community Councils are aware that it is often only a vocal minority who make representations. The Community Council should seek to represent the views of the whole Community.

Campaigning On the Issues

 How a Community Council might decide which issues it will consider, and how to pursue them: You will be presented with a large variety of issues and problems. Some will affect a single member of the community, some the entire community and beyond. Your Community Council must try its best to make a balanced decision on what issues it will tackle and how.

 

  • Start by applying the “community benefit” test. Your actions should be directed towards securing the most positive results for the greatest number of local people, so long as the minority does not suffer in the process. When faced with a number of issues, give first and most attention to those that affect the most people and on which you can realistically have a positive effect.
  • Begin by gathering information. Decisions made without information, by prejudging the issue or by making assumptions are bad for your community and your reputation. Find out the key points and then find out what local people feel about it.
  • Base your Community Council’s position on the views of or benefit to the majority of citizens.
  • Be honest and realistic about whether you can do something about the issue. What influence can you have on the issue and those involved? Can you secure professional advice on technical aspects that would help you make your case? Research the person/organisation you want to influence? How can you engage with them to reach the desired outcome for the Community?
  • Decide what results you want. Be specific. Know why you want each of these results and exactly how they will meet the conditions above about benefit to the community.
  • Figure out how to reach these objectives, and monitor your activity. Asses how you can tell when you have achieved your objectives.
  • An issue does not need to have only two opposing sides. Could your Community Council be an independent mediator bringing opposing factions together?
  • Avoid allowing the Community Council to become the vehicle for any campaign that is not the evident will of the majority of Community. When that is established, maintain that position, and do not let your Community Council become the venue for constant debate about the issue’s merits. Nor should any single issue overwhelm your meetings.
  • When you have determined the official position of your Community Council on an issue, you should not alter it unless there is a material change in evidence or circumstances.
  • A Community Councillor who becomes publicly associated with a particular position in a way that may be seen to prejudice the Community Council on an issue must declare their interest to the Community Council and not take part in any activity associated with it
  • You may choose to appoint a special Committee to co-ordinate your action on a particular issue with appropriate delegated authority. Make sure the committee has a clear remit and set clear instructions on what it may do or not do without prior approval of the whole Community Council.

 More information