Fortnightly Issue 5872 May 2015

News and views from the Local Government Association

P8 Elections A look ahead to council and mayoral elections on 7 May

P10 Digital councilOur online guide to social media

“As elected representatives, we have the mandate to respond to local needs and make a real difference for residents. There cannot be many more fulfilling jobs around.” Cllr David Sparks, LGA Chair P 2

P15 No overall controlPost-elections: LGA support is there if you need it

P13 LG Inform PlusThe invaluable service to support your work

2 FIRST NEWS

EDITORIAL

A thank you to all councillors

Editor Dawn ChamaretteDesign Liberata DesignAdvertising Amanda CowenWrite to first, Local Government House, Smith Square, London SW1P 3HZT (editorial) 020 7664 3294T (advertising) 020 7664 3157email first@local.gov.ukPhotography Photofusion and Ingimage unless otherwise statedPrint BGP Ltd, BicesterCirculation 18,400 (July 2014)

To unsubscribe emailfirst@oscar-research.co.uk The inclusion of an advert or insert in first does not imply endorsement by the LGA ofanyproductorservice.Contributors’viewsaretheirownanddonotnecessarilyreflecttheopinionsorpoliciesoftheLGA.

03 NewsFour regions call for devolution

05 PolicyCareers in local government

07 LettersFines for litter

08 FeatureElections: looking ahead to 7 May

10 FeatureDigital Councils

12 FeatureThe future of archives

13 FeatureLG Inform Plus: what it can do for you

Inside this issue

Top local issues: economy and elderly

While the media has mostly focused onnextweek’sGeneralElection,LGAChair Cllr David Sparks has pointed out the importance of the issues facingcouncilsfollowing7May.

He said: “The priorities a new government will face will not be uniquetoWestminister.Atthetopof any agenda will be growing the economy, managing the pressures of an ageing population, reducing welfare spending by balancing growth and jobs, building more homes and reducingpublicspending.

“Everylocalcouncilinthecountryis having to make tough decisions on these same issues on a daily basis: on driving economic growth in our towns, in looking after our elderly friends andfamily,infindingwaystodeliverthe homes we desperately need, in providing essential every day services likebincollectionsandfillingpotholes.

“Withlocalgovernment’spivotal

role at the heart of democracy and our communities, it is vital council elections next week are taken as seriouslyastheGeneralElection.”

Cllr Sparks explained that by living and working in the places we serve, councillors understand the needs and ambitionsoflocalpeople.

He added: “Up and down the country, from Cumbria to Cornwall, councils are driving change for thebetter.Localdemocracyishugely important to the work councils do and we are proud residents are empowered to choose the representatives who make fundamental decisions which shape theirneighbourhoods.

“There is a growing appetite within our communities to have a greater say in the places where they live and work, and local government provides the power with which to refresh and reinvigorateourdemocracy.”

This time next week we will know the outcome of theelections.TheGeneralElectionresultwillgetthe most attention in the national press, but there will be a host of fascinating dramas playing out at ward and county level up anddownthecountry.

The way votes are cast will shape the next few years for our councils and residents, but I want totakethismomenttoreflectontheimpactofthosevotesonyou,thecouncillors.

Ibelieveourjobisanenormousprivilege.It is a role that can be viewed as the very embodiment of local representation, one of the fundamentalpillarsofdemocracy.

By living and working in the places we serve, we understand the needs and ambitions oflocalpeople.Aselectedrepresentatives,wehave the mandate to respond to those needs andmakearealdifferenceforresidents.Therecannotbemanymorefulfillingjobsaround.

Next week, men and women around the country will step down, or lose out at the ballot box.Tothem,Iwanttosimplysaythankyou.You should take great pride in the contribution you have made to the lives of the people youhaveservedandIhopeyoufindwaystocontinue to use the skills and experience that youhavegainedinyourtimeasamember.

To those who remain in post, and to the next generation of councillors who are gearing up for their new roles, I hope you are looking forwardtotheyeartocomeasmuchasIam.We will continue to represent your interests, and through you the interests of your residents, at the national level in the years to come, which everpartieswin.

Cllr David Sparks is LGA Chair

3FIRST NEWS

Four regions unite on devolution callCouncilsinEngland,Wales,Scotlandand Northern Ireland have united to demand“urgentaction”bywhoeverforms the next government to set out how powers will be devolved to local communitiesinitsfirstQueen’sSpeech.

In a joint-statement issued ahead oftheGeneralElection,thelocalgovernment associations of the four countries of the United Kingdom, call on politicians to grasp “the opportunity to reviveourlocaldemocraticsystems”.

It is signed by Cllr David Sparks, Chair of the LGA, Cllr Aaron Shotton, Deputy Leader of the Welsh Local Government Association, Cllr David O’Neill,PresidentoftheConventionof Scottish Local Authorities and Cllr Dermot Curran, President of the Northern Ireland Local Government Association.

The leaders call on whoever forms the next government to ensure that legislationinthefirstQueenSpeechisframed to empower local communities through councils, embeds the principle of subsidiarity and guarantees the devolution of powers beyond Westminster, Holyrood,

CardiffBayandStormont;TheEuropeanCharterofLocal

Self-Government should also form part of our new constitutional settlement and any future Constitutional Convention on the future of the governance of the United Kingdom should guarantee seats around the table for the leaders of the four associations to ensure that the voices of local communities are heard, theyadd.

They say: “As we approach the election of a new Parliament, the time for talkinghasended.Thenewgovernmentwillbegiventheresponsibilityofdefininga new settlement for the communities oftheUnitedKingdom.Wehavethe opportunity to shape history and strengthenournation.

“We are very clear that it is time to move away from an expensive, centralised approach which means thatgovernmentsinBelfast,Cardiff,EdinburghorLondontrytosecondguesswhatisbestforlocalities.Anysettlement which does not extend beyond Westminster, Holyrood, CardiffBayandStormontwillnotbesustainable.”

Welsh libraries of the future

This week the Welsh LGA is hosting a roundtable discussion on the future shape androleoflibraries.SpeakersincludeMikeHedgesAM(WelshLabour),SuzyDavies AM (Welsh Conservatives), Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM (Plaid Cymru), Peter Black AM (Welsh Liberal Democrats), along with the Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport&Tourism,KenSkatesAM.ThediscussionisbeingchairedbyDrChrisLlewelyn,WLGADirectorforLifelongLearning,LeisureandInformation.

News in brief School governance guide addresses changing roles

Encouragingmutualsupportandrespectbetween school governors and head teachers isthepurposeofanewly-publishedresource.Designedtoimprovetheeffectivenessofschool governance, the resource has been jointly published by the LGA, together with theNationalGovernors’Association,theNational Association of Head Teachers and the AssociationofSchoolandCollegeLeaders.Thedocument was originally released in 2008 but has been developed to address the changed role of school governance and the challenge this presents.CllrDavidSimmonds,ChairmanoftheLGA’sChildrenandYoungPeopleBoard,said:“Goodgovernanceiscrucialtoanyschool’seffectivenessanditisanincreasinglyresponsiblerole.Thisisahelpfulresourceinsupportingbothgovernors and school leaders to understand andfulfiltheirrespectiveroles.”Theresourceisavailable at www.local.gov.uk.

Time to book your place for LGA Annual ConferenceThisyear’sannualconferencetakesplace half-waythroughthenewGovernment’scrucialfirst100daysofofficeandintheleaduptoone of the most important Spending Reviews of recent years, so it is a timely opportunity to discussandchallengethenewgovernment’sproposeddirection.Asusual,therewillbekey speeches from government and Shadow ministers, a host of forums on the important issuesaffectinglocalgovernmentandopportunities to network and learn good practice fromothercouncils.Toseetheitineraryandtobook a place, see www.local.gov.uk/events.

National party manifestosThe national party manifestos for the general electionincludepoliciesthataffectlocalgovernment.ThesearehighlightedinbriefingstheLGAhasdrawntogetherforcouncils. “Whatthemanifestossay2015”canberead atwww.local.gov.uk/elections-2015.

4 FIRST ADS

Annual Fire and Rescue Service Conference and Exhibition 2016TheUK’sleadingFireandRescueServiceconferenceand exhibition will take place on 8-9 March at the Bristol MarriottCityCentreHotel.

This conference will be taking place 10 months into the tenureofthenewministerforfireandrescueservices.

It will give us a chance to discuss their priorities and plans over the next parliament and talk about the challenges the sectorisfacing.

To book your place visit www.local.gov.uk/events

Income generation

Commercialisation in regulatory services – developing sustainable public protection

16 June, LondonRegulatory services are vital to councils’ broader public protection work. This event will explore the scope for income generation through commercial services provided to businesses and others.

For more information and to book your place online, visit www.local.gov.uk/events

5

LeadershipLG ChallengeLocal Government Challenge is a competition which seeks out the best and brightest localgovernmentofficerswiththe drive and determination toreachthetop.Competitorstake part in a series of real-life challenges in host authorities around the country, which test their individual and teamskills.Thewinnercanlook forward to a career-enhancing scholarship worth up to £10,000 from the Bruce Lockhart Leadership Programme, to be used to promote localism and local government through the exchange of ideas between theUK,theUSAandEurope– and to put into practice successfulideas.Thefindingswill be published to promote best practice and raise the status of local leadership

and local government in the UK.Profilesofthisyear’sparticipants and a video of them in the latest challenge canbeseenatwww.local.gov.uk/lgchallenge.

Health and wellbeingInduction sessionsIf you are new to the role of Health and Wellbeing Board Chair or Vice-chair, or as an adult social care portfolio holder, there will be joint induction sessions held at the LGA, Smith Square, London to introduce the key issues in the health and care agenda nationally andthesupportonoffer,together with an opportunity tonetwork.Thesetakeplacefrom10.30am-3pmonThursday, 9 July and Tuesday, 8September.Emailsarah.brown@local.gov.uktobook aplace.

CommunitiesArmed forces community championsWith commemorative events for the 70th anniversary of VEDaytakingplacenextweekend (commencing 8 May), members are reminded of the LGA’spublication“LestWeForget: Councils Supporting the ArmedForcesCommunity”.Itprovides examples of how local authorities are helping serving and ex-serving forces personnel and their families and can be downloaded at www.local.gov.uk/publications.Allcouncilshavesigned up to the Community Covenant, which is a pledge to support service and ex-service men and women in ways thatincludehelpingthemfindhousing, employment and local schoolplacesfortheirchildren.Many councillors have become champions of the covenant to ensureitsimplementation.

WorkforceCareers in local governmentA guide aimed at encouraging young people to think about a career in local government is available from the LGA in printandonline.Itoutlinesthe varied work that councils do, illustrates how this affectsyoungpeople’slives,and explores the career opportunities that councils offer.Intheforeword,LGAChair Cllr David Sparks explains that working in local government can take a career in any number of directions, “includingworkingindifferentservicesandfordifferentcouncils, working across the public sector or for some, moving into private sector jobsassociatedwithcouncils’work”.Itisdownloadablefromthe workforce section of the programmes menu on the LGA website at www.local.gov.uk.For further information contact jacky.teasell@local.gov.uk or debbie.carvalho@local.gov.uk.

Sector-led improvement

InnovationAn online database of innovative council practice is being compiled by the LGA for local authorities to share their work.Amongthosealreadyfeatured are councils who showcased their work at our Innovation Zone at Annual Conferencelastyear.Ifyouhave any examples to share contact vicki.goddard@local.gov.uk so we can expand thisdatabase.Visitwww.lga.gov.uk/innovation and click on Innovative councils to see examplessofar.

Pioneering practice

Animal welfare awardsFire and rescue services and police forces could soon be given RSPCA recognition for their animalwelfareworkaspartofanannualawardschemeforpioneeringpractice.ItisthefirsttimethattheRSPCA’sInnovatorAwards,whicharepartoftheCommunityAnimalWelfareFootprints(CAWF),havebeenopentoentriesfromtheemergencyservices.CAWFhasestablisheditselfas a mark of recognition for commitment to animal welfare by many local authorities, housing providersandlocalresilienceforumsacrossEnglandandWales.Thecategoriesarestraydogprovision,contingencyplanning,housingprovisionandanimalwelfareprinciples.Thedeadline forapplicationsis26June.Detailsareatwww.politicalanimal.org.uk/cawf

firstpolicy

FIRST POLICY

6 FIRST COMMENT

Welsh Local Government Association “UKCouncilLeadersfrom@LGANews,@NI_LGA,@COSLAandourselves unite in devolution call bit.ly/1QE1OJi#localgov#Wales#GE2015”www.twitter.com/WelshLGA

Cllr Claire-LouiseLeyland (Con, Camden)“Young people want local government to have more power to make decisions about services intheirarea@LGANewspic.twitter.com/9QBEiVxvv9”www.twitter.com/belsizebulletin

Cllr Gary Malcolm (Lib Dem, Ealing)“InSouthfieldthismontha48%dropvs.lastmonth!Burglariescontinuetogodown#chiswick#ealing#acton”www.twitter.com/CllrGaryMalcolm

Cllr Gary Poole (Lab, Islington) “ANZAC Day commemoration atIslingtonGreen10.45today.Remembering all those who died at Gallipoli100yearsago.#Anzac100”www.twitter.com/CllrGaryPoole

sound bites

Whilst it is always interesting reading the views of Professors Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher (first 586, “Many voters set for divided loyaltyatlocalandgeneralpolls”),one should always remember politics is not an exact science, especially at electiontime.

There has been many unpredictableelectionresults.Labour winning in 1945 was a surprise after Churchill was the PM, credited with winning the War, althoughWinstondidwinin1950.

Heath winning for the Tories in 1970 took most by surprise, plus ThatcherbecomingthefirstwomanPM in 1979 and Major winning in 1992stunnedLabour.

Local elections throw up shock

resultsalso.LikeinRedcarandCleveland in the Tees Valley in 2003, Labour lost to a coalition and regainedfullcontrolin2011.

Whilst most voters will have only two ballot papers, one for the MP and one for the council elections, some will have a total of three ballot papers as they will be voting for a mayor.

IagreewiththeProfessors;voters are much more savvy these daysanddon’talwaysvoteonpartylines, especially in local elections, hence there could be some very interestingresultscomethe7May.

Cllr George Robert Dunning (Ind)Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council

Voters are more savvy now

Do you have a blog or a Twitter account we should be following? Let us know. Email first@local.gov.uk

letters

7FIRST COMMENT

Alcohol not the only causeI noticed that you proposed reducing the drink-drive level from 80mgs to 50mgs (first 584).

I am cynical about this since there are normally a variety of causestoanaccident.Alcoholis only part of the cause of an accident.Whileexcessalcoholover a certain limit does slow reactions, careful driving also playsamajorcontribution.

I fail to see why we should becomparedwithEurope.MostofEuropecravesourmoresensibleregulations.InFrance,the drink-drive limit is lower than ours and yet the accident rate is apparentlyhigher.

On this basis you could cut thelimitandfindthatnothinghappens except that more pubs are boarded up as people go straight home rather than riskingadrink.

Highwaysofficersaremoulded into the mind-set that theonlywaytoreducetrafficaccidentsisbyruthlesstrafficcalming.

The problem is that the moretheareaistrafficcalmed,the more you increase road rage.20mphzonesareasimilarexample based on a statistic that this collision speed does substantially less harm to a pedestrian.Driversfeltthat30mphwasasensiblespeed.

With a sensible speed limit politicised for no logical reason, speeds in Camden have actuallygoneup.

The other factor is that alcoholaffectspeopleindifferentways.Athinpersonthatdoesnot often drink can be over the limit on the same amount of alcoholthatwouldnotaffectsomeoneofalargerbuild.

Cllr Jonny Bucknell (Con) London Borough of Camden

Drink-drive limits and Vision ZeroI was appalled by Cllr Wickham’sletter(first 586, “drink-drive reduction has unintendedconsequences”).Drinkers cannot quickly respondtoahazard.Over1,700ayeardieonBritain’sroads-eachtragedyaffectingtens of others in their circle and workplace.CrashescosttheUK£36billionperannum.

Clever authorities are embracingVisionZero-i.e.nodeathsorseriouscasualties.It’spolicyinSweden,Norway,Demark, Northern Ireland, Edinburgh,BrightonandHove,ViennaandmanyUScities.Casualty reductions plus people feeling safer outside and so walking and cycling more (as it says in the obesity article first586)requireazeroharm, full systems approach for radicalculturechange.Thinkbigforbigresults.

For too long cars and motorists have dominated streets.Fortunately,30mph,(which prioritises the sedentary motorist) has been rejected in favour of 20mph by most of theUKslargestcouncils.“20’sPlenty”rebalancespower,returning streets to places for healthymovement.

I also support increasing use of safety cameras, enforcement and penalties on drink-driving, urban speeding, driving while texting or phoning,andstrictliability.

Wise Councillors are getting serious and using transport and public health funds to prevent road violence as the benefitsticksomanyboxes.

Cllr Anna Semlyen (Lab) City of York Council

Political will defies litter loutsDid Cllr Fuller, (Partnerships must prosecute litter bugs), report the Audi driver (first 586)?

If he lived in Braintree District Council area this could have been done using our See ReportItsystem.Wethenissuethe£75fixedpenaltynotice.

Only last month someone who threw a cigarette butt out ofhiscarwasfined£980bythelocalMagistratesCourt.He had chosen to ignore the fine,wesentittocourt,hedidn’tbothertoturnup.Theresult was £980 and lots more publicity for our Green Heart of EssexCampaign.

This has been running forfiveyears,resultinginmany awards from KBT, TV appearances and one of the cleanestdistrictsinthecountry.It’seasyifyouhavethepoliticalwillandgreatstaffwhocomeupwithcampaigns.

OurDon’tbeaTosser,Pick up Poo Tell us Who and a multiple of education schemes followed by enforcement works, will also closely work with fast food outlets, and most important of all there are ourlocalvolunteers.

Other councils say they cannotaffordtodoit;withoutcutting services and keeping counciltaxatzeroincreasefor three years and a minus one per cent for two years we haveshownitcanbedone.Youcannotaffordnottodoit;it’sonlythepoliticalwillthatisstopping other districts from followingsuite.

Cllr Wendy Schmitt (Con) Braintree District Council

Calling Mr Litter KillerIn first 586, Cllr Dennis Fuller reports he witnessed the driver of an Audi 4WD scattering litter outofhiscarwindow.Hedoesnot say whether he noted the vehiclenumber.

If he had, what penalty or enforcement would there havebeen?None.Litteristheeffluenceofaffluence,thesignofthefreeBrit’srighttosoil his own doorstep, or his neighbour’sanyway.

Solution?Notcitizen’sarrests, not prosecution, since no one will bother to enforce them.YetifMrLitterbugparkswrongly he gets a penalty ticket anddoesn’tdoitagain.Afinefor littering might work similar wonders.Weallhavemobilephone cameras to snap the culprits.Nowallweneedisapenalty agency to send them to,anonymouslyofcourse.

My real bogey is fast food litter,colourfulandemblazonedwiththedispenser’sdeviceoracronym.Identificationiseasyand location: usually within 100yardsofthedispenser’spremises.Easytoseeandcollect from the verges, underpasses, green spaces whichtheyadorn.Whatistostop them being gathered up and returned to the dispenser fora“reward”ofsay5papop? Make it legal, one of you proto-MPs, as a private member’sbill,whenyougetinandacquirefame.Youmightbecome known as Mr Litter Killer.

Cllr John Hart (Con) London Borough of Barnet

What do you think?Youcancommentontheselettersonlineatwww.local.gov.uk/first-lettersorsubmityourownletter forpublicationbyemailingfirst@local.gov.uk.Lettersmaybeeditedandpublishedonline.

8 FIRST FEATURE

More than 9,000 council seats in 279 local authorities will be contested on 7 May, along with six mayoral elections. Professors Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher compare recent trends and apply these to when these seats were last contested

Whereas the general election is reprising contests last fought five years ago, the benchmark for this year’s local elections is 2011. By far the biggest round in the cycle, over 9,000 council seats in 279 local authorities in England are up for grabs. Back in 2011 the co-incident national referendum on the electoral system appeared to help both push turnout above 40 per cent and enable the Conservatives to defy their opinion poll ratings and gain additional councils andcouncillors;arareachievementfor agoverningparty.

One other feature then was that Labour and the Conservatives between them polled three-quarters of the national equivalent vote at a local election for the firsttimeintwodecades.AlthoughtheLiberal Democrats fell back sharply to register just 16 per cent, there was little sign of the increase in support for UKIP especially, and the Greens, which was to become such a feature of the 2013 and 2014councilcontests.

The pattern of local by-elections which we monitor for first suggests that this time all three major parties will struggle tomatchthatperformance.Ourlatestestimate has the Conservatives seven percentage points down compared with 2011on31percent;Labourfiveloweron32percent;andtheLiberalDemocratson13percent.Ontheotherhand,UKIPis polling no less than 12 points higher on 15percent.

MobilisedIf that proves an accurate indicator

on May 7, the big losers are likely to be the Conservatives, with UKIP picking up dozensofshiredistrictseatsfromthem.ItisevenpossiblethatNigelFarage’spartycouldtakemajoritycontrolofitsfirsteverlocalauthority.

With its main opponents set to lose support, and with its own core vote mobilised for the general election, Labour will look to emerge relatively unscathed fromthelocals.Forexample,Labour’sdominance in the 36 metropolitan boroughs is such that it holds nearly three in four of all seats, has an overall majority in 30 of them, and is the largest party in threemore.

UKIP is likely to take some former Labour territory in places like Doncaster (which is holding all out elections following a boundary review), Dudley, and Rotherham as it did last year, but will remainverymuchaminorityvoice.Thesame goes for Labour unitary citadels like Leicester, Luton, Nottingham and Stoke-on-TrentwhichareholdingtheirfirstlocalcontestssincetheUKIPsurge.

Unitary councils with elections by thirds are even less subject to dramatic change, but UKIP could challenge Labour for largest party status in North EastLincolnshire–coveringthekeyparliamentary marginal of Cleethorpes and Great Grimsby – and may emerge holding the balance of power between Labour and theConservativesinPlymouth.

In overall terms, though, this particular set of local elections is concentrated in theConservativeheartlands.Theydefendtwice as many seats and almost twice as many councils as Labour and will remain thelargestpartyonbothcounts.Indeedthey are contesting more than 90 per cent of all seats: double the number of any other party except Labour which itself is fieldingcandidatesforthree-quartersofvacancies.

ELECTIONS PREVIEW

Professors Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher are Directors ofPlymouthUniversity’sElectionsCentre

Break-down of seatsThe 9,237 seats in 279 councils break down as follows:Metropolitan boroughs:athirdofseats(794intotal)in35councils;allseats(55)inone(Doncaster)withboundarychanges.Unitary authorities:allseats(1,577intotal)in30councils;athirdofseats(332intotal)in19councils.District councils:allseats(5,451intotal)in127councils;allseats(94intotal)in3previously“thirds”councilswithboundarychanges;athirdofseats(934intotal)in64councils.

Con Lab LD Other No overall control

Current control 134 80 8 1 56

Seats being defended* 5,110 2,456 1,094 787

*from2011.Notaccountingforboundarychangesorcasualvacancies

9FIRST FEATURE

The Conservatives will particularly look to make progress at the expense of their erstwhile coalition partners, perhaps wresting control directly from the Liberal DemocratsinEastbourneandpostinganoverall majority in Taunton Deane for the firsttimeinadecade.

HistoryOn the other hand, losses to Labour

couldmorethanoutweighsuchgains.Across the Midlands in districts like Erewash,SouthDerbyshire,Tamworth,andWorcester,theConservatives’griponthecouncilisunderthreat.

Of the other parties, the Greens are confidentofpickingupfurtherseatsinBristol,NorwichandYork,butmayfindthatthe fallout from running Brighton and Hove forthepastfouryearsdamagesthem.

A handful of councils have the potentialtomakehistoryasthefirstwithaUKIPoverallmajority.ArepeatoflastMay’sresultswouldbringsuchan outcome in both Basildon and Great Yarmouth;matchingtheircountycouncilperformance in 2013 would put Boston andThanetinthespotlight.

The six mayoral elections add a dimension where personality really can trumpparty.

TonyEggintonandRayMallonarestandingdownafter13yearsinMansfieldandMiddlesbroughrespectively.InMansfield,twoIndependentsandaLabourcandidatehavebeennominated;in Middlesbrough no fewer than four Independents are up against Conservative andLabouropponents.Elsewhere,incumbents Dave Hodgson in Bedford and Gordon Oliver in Torbay will each need convincingly to outscore their party iftheyaretobere-elected.

And spare a thought for those electors in parts of Bedford who, with a police precept referendum being held in addition to parliamentary, mayoral, local and parishelections,willneedjuggleuptofivedifferentballotpapers.

10 FIRST FEATURE

Social media has changed the way residents and local authorities interact. Inevitably, local authorities and individual councillors are at different stages of familiarity with the likes of Twitter and Facebook. Digital Councils has been developed by the LGA and Comms2point0forcouncillorsandofficersatalllevelsofexperiencewithsocialmediause.

The hub is a one-stop shop, from guides to “getting started”to“goingfurther”withadviceonhowtodevelopasocialstrategy.Itincludescasestudiesoncouncilswhoareharnessingthebenefitsofadigitalapproach.There is also an A-Z of councils with links to their social media channels and over 50 good practice examples from authorities,councillorsandofficers.

Cllr David Sparks, Chair of the LGA, said: “Many councils have already got to grips with social media and are using it to communicate with their residents about things like bin collections, weather warnings and road closures.

“However, councillors and councils are working at differentspeedsandtheDigitalCouncilsresourcewillprovide a hub so we can work with everyone and learn fromeachother.

Digital Councils is the LGA’s online hub to help councillors and officers make the most of social media

Making the most of social media

DigitalCouncilswillbeupdatedtoreflectongoing goodpractice.www.local.gov.uk/digital-councils

Myths bustedSome of the hints and tips on the Digital Councils online hub

“Social media is the answer to all of our communications issues”Socialmediaisnotasilverbullet.Itwillreachsomepeoplebutitwon’treachall.Itcanbepartofwhatyoudoasacouncilofficeroracouncillor.Face-to-face communication, the telephone and print are still important.

It’saboutunderstandingyouraudiences,wheretheyareandthebestwaytoreachthem.Socialmediashould now take a very central role when making these decisions.

“All of our residents will automatically follow us”The single biggest trick to getting the most from social media is to build your online communities by sharing, listening,beingactiveandbeingsocial.Youwillneedtoprovide interesting things to read, watch or listen that yourresidentsvalueandwant.Don’tjustpublishyourcouncil press releases here or broadcast what you want yourresidentstohear.

Thinkaboutwhattheywantandvalue.Ifyoudothis,theymayjustfollowyouandengagewithyou.

11FIRST FEATURE

A checklist of some do’s and don’ts of how you can most effectively use social media as a councillorThink about the platform you’ll useIf people in your ward are keen Facebook users then think seriouslyaboutFacebook.Twitter is popular among politiciansbecauseit’seasyto use and connects people reallywell.Whicheveroneyouchoose, learn one at a time before even thinking of trying somethingelse.Youwillknowyour residents better than anyone else so ask them which channelworksbestforthem.

Don’t let it replace your traditional workTobeaneffectivecouncilloryouwon’tstopmeetingpeopleandpostingleafletssimplybecause you are posting online.Thetraditionalworkofacouncillorstillhastobedone.You will know your residents best—consider which channel works best for them to connect withyou,onlineandoffline.

Be a personIn the words of Digital SpecialistEuanSemple,“Organisationsdon’ttweet,peopledo”.Youarelikelytobemoreeffectiveifyoursocialmediaprofileisyou(withapicture of you) rather than an organisationwithalogo.

See how other councillors use itWatch and learn from other councillors who are using social media.Haveachattothem.You’llveryoftenfindtheywillbehappytotalk.Eventothosefromdifferentparties.

12 FIRST FEATURE

The digital revolution continues to have a profound impact upon local archive services.Makingmoreinformationavailable online, through mobile phone apps and other digital platforms, has transformed how people – especially young people – interact with local archive services.

Councils have long recognised the potential of local archives to reach out and engage people, helping to develop understanding of the past and present, promoting transparency and contributing towards a range of wider community events.

Local authorities are the backbone of the country’s network of archives; more than 125 local authorities run an archive service.

At the heart of their collections are the records generated by the local authority – providing an essential resource to support councils to manage their business, and supportingcitizens’engagementwiththedemocraticprocess.

They are a source of local history and expertise through which they tell the story of the development of their local communities, and they bring to wider public attention the human stories found inletters,photographsandmemoirs.

Alongside this, archives are greatly involved in commemorations, with current examples including the First World War, the 70thanniversaryofVEDayandthe80thanniversaryofthesigningofMagnaCarta.

AccessibleTheMagnaCarta’slegacyof

democracy in this country has a thread through our archives, which have an essentialroleintransparency.

They hold records of the evidence and deliberations informing decisions and actions.Accessiblearchiveshelppeopleunderstand how policy is developed and they can empower people to take a more activeroleinthedecisionsthataffecttheirownlives.

Increasingly, new models of providing archive services are being explored includingoutsourcingandsharedservices.

Examplesofhowsomelocalauthorities are planning for the future of their archives responsibilities can be seen in “Transforming local archive services - Anewcollectionof13casestudies”ispublished by the LGA and The National Archive.

ARCHIVE OF FACTSOf the 125 local authorities running archive services, about 80 are ‘placesofdeposit’holdingsignificantpublic records and are required to meetstandardsofcareandaccess.These are regulated by The National Archives.

2015 is the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta, which was fundamental todefiningindividualfreedomandtherule of law, and laid the foundations formoderndemocracy.Therewillbecommemorative events across the country, many of them focusing on thesurvivingcopiesofthedocument.Seewww.local.gov.uk/magna-carta.

There are approximately 108 coronersinEnglandandWales.Their records have a vital role in determining questions relating to deathsincertaincircumstances.Therecordsofcoroners’inquestsarea critical element in demonstrating transparency and accountability in decision-making and ensuring that justiceisdelivered.Forexample,coroners’recordshavealsobeenused to support decisions by local councilstoimplementspeedlimits.

As preparations are under way to commemorate the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta next month, a publication by the LGA and the National Archives looks at how local authorities are ensuring that local archives remain a source of transparency in democracy, while engaging the community

LIVINGARCHIVES

The collection can be downloaded from:www.local.gov.uk/publications

13FIRST FEATURE

LG Inform Plus is an online service offered by the LGA for a small additional subscription. It provides updates on hundreds of items of data about your area – vital for defining community areas and pinpointing where services should be targeted – as well as tools to help you use that data effectively

COMMUNITY DETAILS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

The LGA has improved its high performance online subscription service“LGInformPlus”to give councils even more detailed information about their communities, making it integral to planning and delivering services whilesavingtime.

This enables councillors and officerstodrilldownfromauthority-widescaleandwardlevelprofilesto smaller neighbourhoods and zones,supportedbyregulardataupdates to the hundreds of data items that can be fed into reports, maps and charts, among many otherfeatures.

Evenbeforetheimprovements,examples of how local authorities have used the online toolkit include mapping geographic clusters of particularly poor or better health amongst local residents, and comparing health inequalitiesacrosswards;andgenerating maps to learn regional characteristics, for example, areas of greatest population density and areasofhighestunemployment.

The tools include:Guidance on legal powers and dutiesThe guidance gives a council an understanding of which of their services are mandatoryandwhicharediscretionary.Thisis crucial information to have at hand when re-shaping services or planning new ones, andcanalsoinfluencedecisionsonwhetherservicesareprovidedforfreeornot.

Natural NeighbourhoodsThisisanewwaytodefinewherepeopleliveandwork.Generatemapsanddataforcustomised areas, such as town centres or neighbourhoods, for more meaningful reportingandinsight.These“personalgeographicalareas”canbesharedonline vialinks.Thesecustomisedareascanbe put into reports authored by councils, and the latest data is automatically calculated forthem.

Report Writer Capture your data in a report and in a range of charts and maps, created within minutes tosharewithcolleagues.

Records retention and information management guidanceThis tool guides councils on the types of records that should be kept for each service as well as for how long records should be kept.Itensureslegalcomplianceandsohelpsauthoritiesavoidfines,whilebalancingthis with the need to meet business requirements.Thistoolsavestimethatwould otherwise be spent researching legal retention periods, and helps when clearing outanddealingwithoverfullstorage.

A ‘data feed’ (API)In short, this gives a council direct access tohugevolumesofrawdata.Thisisaccompanied by tools to make comparisons of wards, councils and communities across regions.

Subscription is for a whole organisation (allowing all officers and councillors to have access) and is based on local authority size. The rates are £735, £1,450 and £2,260.

For case studies, information about how to subscribe, and further details on the LGInformPlustoolsseewww.local.gov.uk/about-lginformplus

14 FIRST POLITICAL

PARTNERS

Let’s squash food waste

PARLIAMENT

A guide to confidence and supply

DuringtheGeneralElectioncampaignsome political analysts suggest thatthefinalresultmayproveinconclusive, with no one party holding a majority in the House of Commons.Shouldthishappen,theparty in the House of Commons with the most Members of Parliament, but no overall majority, may seek to form a minority government operating on a “confidenceandsupply”model.

Insimpleterms“confidence”isan agreement by the minor party or parties promise to support a governmentinvotesofnoconfidenceinParliament.“Supply”appliestosupport needed within Parliament for legislation that a minority government needs to pass in order to fund its policycommitments.Attheveryleastthis means supporting the government inaparliamentaryvoteontheBudget.

Underaconfidenceandsupplyagreement, a minority government works alone, with an agreement from a smaller party (or parties) to support themthroughtheQueen’sSpeech,theBudget,specificlegislation,andconfidencevotes,inreturnforsomepolicyconcessions.Thesmallerpartywould also reserve the right to judge other proposals by merit and vote againsttheGovernmentifnecessary.

This model gives the minority administration the chance to govern without conceding too much power, and allows the“juniorpartner”toachieve some manifesto goals without binding itself to the minority

administration, as is the case under a coalitionagreement.

Confidenceandsupplywaslastused in the 1977 Lib-Lab pact, in which the Liberals promised to sustain aminorityLabourgovernment.Thislasted for just over a year and ensured thatthegovernmentstayedinofficeinreturn for a Government commitment to consult and to pursue certain measures, such as devolution and the EuropeanAssemblyElectionsBill.Aminority administration sustained by such an agreement would probably need daily agreements to get its business through the House of Commons.

It is possible that a new Prime Minister will be chosen as head of a minority administration but is then unabletocommandtheconfidenceoftheCommons.Suchasituationmay not be clear until the end of the Queen’sSpeechdebate,whichiscurrently scheduled to take place on27May.Inthisinstance,theHouse may choose to pass a vote ofnoconfidenceintheGovernment,which would then trigger a 14-day period in which attempts to form a newgovernmentwouldtakeplace.If no government emerges in this period that is able to win aconfidencemotionintheCommons, then a second electioniscalled.

Encouragingresidentstocutfoodwaste is an on-going challenge for local authorities.Itisoneofthosethingsthatpeople inherently know needs changing but the pressures of daily life make shifting wastefuleverydayroutinesdifficult.Start-up charity Hubbub UK has taken a fresh look at the problem and has devised a new approach thatcouldofferlocalauthoritiesadifferentwayofengagingresidents.Festiveperiodsaretimeswhenfoodwasteincreases.LastHalloween,18,000tonnes of pumpkins were binned, the same weight as1,500doubledeckerbuses.Thisscaleofwaste is likely to increase as Halloween becomes increasingly commercialised

Hubbub used Halloween as the catalyst to work with Oxford City Council and local groups to create the Oxford Pumpkin Festival, which encouraged people to think about the food they throw away, challenged preconceptions,taughtnewskillsandwasfun.

Thefestivalincludedeverythingfromkids’workshops to a journey taking people through the foodsupplychain.Over2,000peopleattended,including some 800 who tucked into bowls of tasty pumpkinsoupfromapop-upkitchen.Intotalthefestivalrescued1,325pumpkinstheequivalentof3.3tonnes of edible food and 1,673 meals were served withfoodthatwouldhaveotherwisebeenwasted.

It was not just in Oxford that the impact was felt.Celebritychefscontributedtoapumpkinrecipebookandtherewasnationalmediacoverage.

Based on the success of Oxford, Hubbub has launched #PumpkinChallenge, seeking to work with 15localauthoritiestocreatesimilarfestivals.Thechallenge is supported by a comprehensive guide on howtorunaPumpkinFestival.Fromfundingthroughtoinsuranceandsocialmediacampaigns.

For councils interested in participating, further detailsareatwww.hubbub.org.uk/food.

Trewin RestorickisChiefExecutiveandfounderofStart-upcharityHubbub.See www.hubbub.org.ukformoreinformation.

15FIRST POLITICAL

Advice is on hand when election result is no overall control

LAST WORD

Spotlight on returning officers

Niall Bolger isChiefExecutive of Sutton Council

Thespotlightwillbeonreturningofficersasneverbeforeinthefinalstageofwhathasbeenthemostheavilyscrutinisedgeneralelectionever.

Our objective remains to ensure the poll and accuracy of the results that we announce so thatourcommunitiescanhaveconfidenceintheoutcomes.

Owingtothemovetoafixed-termParliament, we have been able to plan and there has been longer to arrange key elements such as postalvotes.Havingarobustplan,asever,isthestartingpoint.

Communicating what we are doing, when, and why is crucial to ensuring success, particularly as there are many new candidates and election agentswhomaybeunsureofhowtoproceed.

AusefulguidefornextstepsistheElectoralCommission’sadviceforreturningofficers,whichcanbefoundonitswebsite.Itcontainstheperformancestandardswemustmeet.

The next important stage is administering the poll through postal votes and polling stations.ThePoliceareanimportantpartneras any allegations of voting fraud will have to be reported to them so having clear lines of responsibilityandcommunicationinplaceisvital.

Their presence will also ensure issues like bribery, destruction of campaign material and intimidationofvotersdonotarise.Fraudinpostalvoting has been a problem in other areas in the past so having a clear audit trail of receipt and opening of postal ballot packs is vital to check forunusualactivity.

Ensuringsecurityandtransparencyiscriticalin every stage of the poll from the storage of ballot papers to ensuring counting on election nightgoessmoothly.

Thisisthefirstelectionsincethenationalrolloutofindividualregistration.Inevitablyaverysmall number of people may have been missed, but overall the impact will not match predictions ofthemedia.

However,witheffectiveplanningelectiontimeis an opportunity for us to engage with residents and show the strength of local government inenablingtheeffectivefunctioningofourdemocracy.

Thereport“(Acting)ReturningOfficer RoleandResponsibilities”isat www.electoralcommission.org.uk

Coming to terms with operating in a no overall control environment can be challenging for leading members and seniorofficersalike.

While everybody will want to respond in their own way and in the context of their own local situation it can also be helpful to learn from the experiencesofothers.

In 2014 the LGA talked to a range of leaders and chief executives whose councils had moved to a no overall control situation to capture their experiences and pass on the lessons they had learnt.

Eachcouncildiffersandrelationships vary but the guide is likely to be useful to some councils immediatelyafter7May.Itisalsoan essential resource in preparation forfuturelocalelections.“Nooverallcontrol: Learning further lessons from councils without a majority administration,”canbedownloadedfromwww.local.gov.uk/publications

InadditionLGAofferscouncilsthat change political control, whether

to a single party administration or no overall control, support from our experiencedmemberpeers.

This can typically involve facilitating workshops and away days to build relationships, clarifying strategic priorities and mentoring for leaders orportfolioholders.

Further details are available from the LGA principal adviser for your area.Detailsofprincipaladvisersare on the sector-led improvement sectionofwww.local.gov.uk.

Join us at the Innovation Zone 30 June – 2 July 2015 Harrogate International Centre

The Innovation Zone at this year’s LGA Annual Conference will be a vibrant and creative space for demonstrations, conversations, pitches and presentations from councils who have risen to the challenge of being more innovative.

• Hear the latest thinking from councils showcasing and sharing their innovative ideas and practice to solve their biggest challenges.

• Participate in sessions on leadership, digitalisation, commercialisation, partnership working and integration and community action.

• Take away great ideas to address your own council’s challenges. If you’re interested, come along, network, join in and be inspired. For more details and how to book to attend the conference visit: http://tinyurl.com/LGAannualconference