Building Effective Community Council Communication Anthony Higney.

Building Effective Community

Council Communication

Anthony Higney

Project Outline

A review and assessment of Community Council websites/Facebook pages and newsletters.

A sample survey/interview with a selection of Community Councils to assess perceived obstacles to effective communication.

Investigation of costs and support requirements to overcome any perceived obstacles.

Actions so far

Web Survey completed.

Small review of newsletters.

Trial survey completed

Final survey completed.

Results collated and analysed.

Web Survey

Carried out in June 2013.

Provides a ‘snapshot’ of Community Council online activity.

Based on methodology of Ryan, B., Cruickshank, P. (2012). Scottish Community Councils Online: a Survey.

Quantitative Results

36%

28%

36%Up to Date

Out of Date

Without Sites

Improvement in Website Upkeep

2012 2013

Up to Date 14 29

Out of Date 37 22

Qualitative Results

Wide variation in quality of online presence of Community Councils.

Some excellent Community Council websites exist and are available as best practice examples for other Councils.

Most Councils use websites for posting minutes and giving out information to the community.

Limited use the internet to ascertain residents’ views

Low display of planning applications on websites

Ascertain how Community Councils are currently engaging with their residents.

Investigate the causes of the variation between very active Community Councils and less active ones.

Find out how Community Councillors believe communication could be improved.

Find out what they would need to do this.

Purpose of Survey is to:

How are Community Councils Currently Engaging with their Community?

64% of councils are online.

30% of surveyed Community Councillors said their Council produces a newsletter.

Reasons for No Newsletter.

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Don't know

Not enough skills

Not enough resources (moneyetc.)New CC

No one willing to do it

No demand for it

Communication is through theweb-based methodsIn process of setting it up

Other

Do you think it is important for Community Councils to use web-based methods of communication?

88%

10%2%

Yes

Don't know

Other

Reasons Community Councils Find Web-Based Methods Useful

“Well, it just makes it easier to keep people involved. Email is very handy for reminding people there’s a meeting coming up.”

“[I]t’s a better way of distributing all the information we feel residents should have.”

“We get feedback from the website.”

Reasons Community Councils are not Online

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14 Don't know

Not enough skills

Not enough resources (moneyetc.)New CC

Time constraints

Not interested in it/Averse tousing itAge of Community Councillors

In process of setting it up

Other

How do you think Community Council communication could be improved?

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Don't know

Could not be improved

Newsletters

Websites/Social media/email

Newspapers

More publicity for CCs

More resources

Posters/Notice boards

Events

Build links with local organisations/CCs

Training

Other

Other Methods of Improving Communication

“Improve the actual communication between Community Councillors and find out what each one is doing to get information…back to the rest of the board.”

“You have to be very proactive.”

“[T]ry and attract a younger audience.”

“[T]he people who live in our community should know who the CCllrs are.”

More Publicity for Community Councils

“This is probably an area where Glasgow City Council could help, by effectively advertising the existence of Community Councils.”

“[W]ell lots of people I’ve spoken to don’t even know they exist.”

“[I]t’s important that you make people aware, first of all, that the Community Council exists.”

“I think that…it could get put on the media or the news about Community Councils, because not many people know about it…”

Would you participate in an online Community Council forum, where Community Councils, from different areas, could communicate with each other?

34%

62%

2%

2%

No

Yes

Maybe

Other

Would you participate if this online Community Council forum was on Facebook?

55%41%

2%

2%

No

Yes

Maybe

Other

Training Needs

46% of Community Councillors surveyed would like training in web-based methods of communication.

33% of Community Councillors surveyed would like other training.

Other types of Training Requested

29%

10%

29%

32%

Induction training

Area partnership training

Committee training

Other

Further Concerns of Community Councillors

A number of other issues were frequently raised in the interviews as impediments to communication.

Voice Not being Heard

“[T]hey’re bringing things up to the Community Council, the Community Council is bringing it up to the Council and nothing’s getting done…”

“Our voice is not heard.”

“I think they do listen but they don’t do enough.”

Concerns About Representation

“We are white and we are old.”

“We have very few people who are actually in business, or any form of work.”

“We would like for younger people to come.”

“I think it becomes very middle-class.”

Concerns about Apathy

“[P]eople are generally apathetic towards the whole thing.”

“We’re making attempts to communicate, but I don’t know if the community are reciprocating.”

“[T]he older ones will talk. They’ll talk. The younger ones...nobody cares.

“[P]eople are lazy and, unless it impacts on them directly, they’re not interested. It’s not due to lack of trying.”

Conclusions

There are some shining examples of community engagement within the Community Council group.

There is a demand from Community Councils for increased communication with each other.

Community Councillors believe the primary barrier to more effective paper communication is the small resources Community Councils have at hand, but there are also many Councillors who have neither the time, nor the desire to produce a newsletter.

There is a strong desire for increased publicity for Community Councils.

Conclusions

The vast majority of Community Councillors believe that web-based communication methods are important.

Community Councillors believe the primary barriers to increased web-based communication are:

1. The age of Community Councillors2. Their desire to use these methods of

communication.

There is a strong desire for training in web-based communication methods.

There is a desire for other training for Community Councillors.

There are strong concerns within Community Councils about the apathy of residents, the voice of Community Councils being heard and about their demographic representation of the community.

Any Questions?