Communications – Implementation Plan
1. Implementation needs to be proactive rather than reactive
2. The work will be spearheaded by a working party of at least three councillors including the “Village Correspondent” who will report to the Full Council and lead the working party.
3. The “Village Correspondent” will be the Chairman of the Parish Council because the Chairman is responsible for the public face of the Council.
4. The Working Party will collate a schedule of all Parish Council publications and prepare a timed rolling plan of new and revised publications and external communications that project 12 months into the future as a minimum.
5. Except for council meeting agendas, minutes and meeting papers produced by the Clerk this plan will incorporate the totality of Parish Council documents, drawings and diagrams put into the public domain, e.g., the Parish Council Annual Report, The Chairman’s Annual report, the Audit reports, Standing orders and regulations. The work includes the design and preparation of posters, leaflets newsletters, articles and letters about planned events and the work of the Parish Council,
6. Documents so produced will be passed to the Clerk of the Council for publication in an appropriate communications channel. Councillors will not directly update the website or Facebook. Other than for professional support (e.g., on Standing orders or Financial Regulations) the office of the Clerk will not be automatically involved in the active preparation of documents and paperwork for publication. This is a key function of the working party.
7. The working party will also monitor publications for relevance and arrange for either their update, replacement or removal when time expired.
8. The working Party will monitor and supervise the information published on the “Community” section of the Parish Council website and the Council’s Facebook page.
9. The working party will develop a written plan to engage with all age groups including presentations to Schools and use the full spectrum of communications media to inform and interest the differing media used by the different age groups.
10. Within the remit of this Working Group will be the consideration of the “Image” presented by the Parish Council to the outside world which may include the tile name used by the Council, its logo, letterhead and other public facing material.
11. The working party will report back to the meetings of the full council as a regular agenda item.
12. An annual communications budget will be established and agreed with full council.
Approved for issue at the Full Council meeting of the 7th June 2021