The results of the Place survey, published earlier this summer, were quite shocking. Despite continual investment in public services, e-government, improvement and efficiency initiatives, and an emphasis on customer focus, we have collectively failed.
Our reputation, in the eyes of the public, has gone from bad to worse.
We arranged to hold our own Place survey, and it was a great result for us – but it was the culmination of a lot of hard work. This was mainly down to an intensive communications onslaught over the last three years. I manage communications as a function directly, and take a personal interest in the audience, the message and how it is conveyed.
Two years ago, we entered into a communications partnership with our local newspaper and called it The Chorley Smile. It's about pride in the place and pride in the people, and it's unusual to get the local media so fired-up about working with their local council. Positive stories are branded ‘Making Chorley smile', we have pledges cards for local people setting out what they can do to make Chorley smile and, in return, what the council and its partners will do. This all goes down really well with local people – especially young people.
We hold Smile awards with cash prizes for local community groups and volunteers, and for people who have gone that extra mile. Our branding is ubiquitous, and when we had our recent CPA inspection, one of the team commented: ‘It's scary. If you stand still on the street for too long, there is a danger you could get corporately branded!'
We hold weeks of action in neighbourhoods with A boards telling people what we are doing and why. Our Chorley smile caravan is home to the police, the DVLA, the Department for Work and Pensions, Revenue and Customs, the primary care trust and the county council, which all work together to target specific households with advice, information and enforcement, if necessary.
If a household is defrauding us of housing benefit, it is also likely they have no tax or MOT on their vehicle. Households are not picked out at random, but we use detailed MOSAIC customer profiling to pinpoint precisely where we are targeting and with what specific actions.
Sometimes, it's the simple things that are the most effective. We have centralised communications and events staffing and budgets, and focus on fewer events with more of an impact now.
In July, we held a Chorley smile ‘Picnic in the park' to launch our newly-refurbished town centre park. Around 5,000 families rolled out their picnic blankets and enjoyed a great day. It didn't cost the council a penny but the feedback we had was amazing. Just a simple idea, well-executed.
Donna Hall is chief executive of Chorley BC
