Next week in Manchester, over 300 people from across local and central government will get together for the single largest gathering of public sector communications professionals to take place in 2014.
The event, run jointly this year by Lgcomms and the Government Communication Service (GCS) will tackle current issues and explore the latest trends in public relations.
In local government we have a particular challenge. For some time now we have talked about the necessity to make tough decisions regarding cuts.
However, research suggests that the majority of people have still not noticed anything significant. From next year this is likely to start changing.
Since late 2010 the majority of councils have concentrated on back office cuts and service redesign. For many authorities this has meant reducing staff numbers. Most councils have also done everything they can to protect frontline services. The boast from the town hall is so often: ‘£xx million savings while services protected’.
But this is coming to an end. For many councils the money is running out and with it the room for manoeuvre. Traditional efficiency drives have all but run their course. And, by most estimates about 60% of the cuts have yet to be implemented.
The challenge is significant and one that must be faced with effective communication. I was speaking to Mark Rogers, president of SOLACE, before writing this piece and he made an interesting point saying: ‘There is currently a mismatch between how those of us working in local government see the world and how the majority of our residents see it’.
He is right – while we are used to the austerity message and its consequences, all the research suggests that the majority of the population are not overly concerned about
or aware of cuts to council services.
Let’s consider the figures. Currently, almost 40% of people would blame cuts on central government, while 20% say they are not aware of cuts. Less than three in ten are ready to blame their local council. These numbers have stayed fairly constant since 2011.
The latest Local Government Association poll shows satisfaction with councils at the start of 2014 has remained stable at 70% which is roughly where it was at the end of 2010.
Likewise, satisfaction with councils, perception of value for money, for acting on residents’ concerns, and trust, have all held up well in recent years.
Most now agree the difficult decisions that will impact on residents will begin in 2015/16. This gives us a big communications challenge if we are to take local people with us.
There are three fundamental things most of us still need to get better at. It starts with staff engagement.
Our employees have noticed big changes in recent years, both in terms of reductions to the workforce and how we are expected to work. In many places this has been unsettling and staff morale has taken a battering.
But, if we hope to communicate effectively we must win the support of the people who deliver our services. Much has been written about how to engage staff but we must tell compelling and honest stories about what we stand for, managers must be our greatest champions and our staff must feel their voice also matters.
If we don’t win the support of our own staff we have little hope of winning the trust of residents. Building trust is essential. We must communicate and act in a way that wins trust. Doing this will present increasingly greater challenges as we deliver more unpopular messages, setting out changes and cuts to valued services.
To have any chance of retaining public and staff support, our messages must be delivered clearly, consistently and honestly.
Apply the ‘friends and family’ test. If we behave with the same amount of integrity with the people we work with and for, as we would hopefully behave with our friends and family, we will win and keep trust through difficult times.
And the word ‘spin’ must be banned from the local government lexicon.
Win greater credibility as professional communicators. Professional communicators need to sit at the heart of organisations where they can not only drive coherent
and compelling communications but also help inform and drive policy and give advice on critical issues.
There is a credibility gap that prevents this happening in too many organisations. Communications professionals need to raise their game, only delivering work that is focused, disciplined and evidence-based while at the same time committing themselves and their teams to ongoing professional development.
Chief executives need to demand this from their communications teams. Not everyone should survive.
We have a big challenge between now and the end of the decade, during which time the relationship between local government and local people will have to change. If we are to navigate this successfully we need to improve how we communicate.
Cormac Smith is senior communications manager for Westminster City Council and national chairman, LGcommunications