The LGA is launching a new campaign – ‘My council' – aimed at increasing the public's awareness of what local authorities actually do. Corin Thomson explains` Like it or not, councils suffer from an image problem. When asked which animal best describes their council, people often cite animals we wouldn't want to be compared with – sloth, donkey, elephant, dinosaur, ostrich or the cat that only sits on your lap when it wants feeding. And yet, when one asks people what they think of their schools, parks or leisure centres, the responses are consistently and overwhelmingly positive. Add to this the fact that councils are the most efficient part of the public sector and are, according to the Audit Commission, performing better than ever, and we are a faced with a conundrum. There exists a massive discrepancy between what people think of their council, and what they think about the services that their council provides. How has this huge gulf come about? How can people love their libraries, recycling facilities and after-school clubs, and yet dislike their council? How can the sector be performing better than ever, and yet still suffer from such a poor reputation? This mismatch begins to make sense when we take into account that, all too often, residents simply aren't aware of the huge range of services that their council provides. Most people are under the impression that councils do little more than empty the bins and sweep the streets. Most would be surprised to discover that from dawn until dusk, 365 days a year, councils provide around 800 services to help improve everyone's lives. New polling by the LGA illustrated the scale of the problem. It showed that more than three in five people didn't realise their council provided dog wardens, swimming lessons or promoted tourism, and less than half of people questioned realised that councils kept food in restaurants safe. It's not surprising then that many people don't think councils provide value for money. This problem is even more pressing when we consider that BVPI data shows residents' perception of value for money is one of the main things that determine how satisfied they are with their council. At the heart of the problem is the fact that councils simply aren't good enough at telling people what they do – and what residents' council tax is spent on – in an accessible and understandable way. The good news is that people are willing to listen. LGA polling has shown that 84% say they think councils should tell them about the services their councils provide. The ‘My council' campaign, launched this week at our annual conference, is designed to help councils address this, and improve the local government brand. We have designed a bold new campaign which can be rolled out locally, and tailored to local needs, using a series of posters to raise residents' awareness of the services councils provide. Inspired by a recent campaign by Northamptonshire CC, My council isn't about giving residents an A-Z of what the council does, but rather it is to capture attention and make people realise the diverse ways in which the council impacts on their lives. We know these images work – we have tested them out – and we know that they catch the eye and do the job. Used in a few places, the poster will help raise awareness, thereby improving perceptions of value for money and satisfaction with the council itself. If all councils sign up to the My council campaign and adopt this approach to communicating to residents, we will be well on our way to creating a local government brand we can be proud of. Corin Thomson is programme director improvement and performance at the Local Government Association
