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When it comes to communications, if men are from Mars and women are from Venus, what planet should local government be on? In Allerdale, we've taken the view that we cannot be seen as an ‘alien' organisation, unrelated to the lives of ‘normal' human beings, and are continually trying, through good communications, to engage with and explain to residents, partners and staff about the services we deliver and the activities we can influence. We all know good communications is a key driver of how we are perceived and levels of resident satisfaction, as demonstrated by MORI research for the LGA Reputation campaign. This is why we are working collaboratively with a range of colleagues to constantly improve our communications, in line with the campaign's core actions – work which was recognised nationally when Allerdale BC took a gold award in the best district council category of the LGA-LGComms Reputation Awards 2008. Looking ahead to the challenges and opportunities we are facing, there is a clear recognition that communications will be the cornerstone of our success. We are aware that the focus of communications should be strategic, in terms of service development and engagement. Research has highlighted the role that communications can play in contributing to achieving improved services, and community outcomes. At Allerdale BC, we are increasingly concentrating on how corporate communications can contribute towards strategic objectives, such as helping the council achieve, and maintain excellence, and increasing and protecting the reputation of the council. It is about how, corporately, the organisation proactively leads communications, both internally and externally, advising on strategy, not simply about responding to media or customer queries, and disseminating information on decisions after they are made. This requires our communications, and service delivery, to be evidence based on the results of consultation and market research – knowing what our customer wants, why, where and how. The Local Government White Paper Strong and prosperous communities, and the empowerment White Paper emphasised the importance of community engagement and two-way communications. The embedding of engagement into the council's decision-making system requires a serious commitment from the top of the organisation, but true community engagement has the potential to drive the transformation of local government communications. This can sometimes feel as though we are heading into the ether, but if we trust our sixth sense, we are sure it will all be worthwhile in the end. Gillian Bishop is chief executive of Allerdale BC

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WHITEHALL

District View

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