Every council tells a story about itself. Communicating a council’s achievements, challenges, and plans for the future is a crucial part of local governance. Through sharing information, councils can build trust and strengthen relationships – putting them in a better position to deliver on behalf of their communities.

What role does innovation, data, and technology play in these stories, and is there potential to do more?

In dark times, positivity shines brighter

No one can deny that London local government is under massive pressure. Boroughs’ resources are 20% lower than in 2010, while London’s population has grown by 884,000 (11%). London Councils forecasts a £700m funding gap in the capital next year. The strain on town hall budgets and across local services is immense, and it’s important to acknowledge this.

But adversity is a catalyst for change, and boroughs have innovated to secure cost savings alongside improved service outcomes in many areas. This work deserves to be shared and celebrated. 

LOTI, which itself has been found to save its member boroughs time and money, is helping promote best practice and enable boroughs to learn from each other’s efficiency achievements. 

As a press officer, I’m acutely aware that bad news makes good headlines. When it comes to pitching stories to journalists there is a negativity bias at play, and inevitably more media interest in something going wrong at a council than something working well. Frustrating, but true! 

Nevertheless, it is worth persevering. There are positive factors that strengthen a story, whether for communicating via the media or other methods. 

For example, is a project having a demonstrably beneficial impact on residents’ lives? If so, are there residents willing to talk about their experience? Is it saving taxpayers’ money? Can it be considered especially groundbreaking – the first of its kind, perhaps? Is the project going to help the council and local residents in relation to a prominent, dramatic challenge everyone has heard of, such as climate change, homelessness, or cyber-hacking? 

Evidence of any of the above means there is definite potential for successful communication activity. The stories we tell aren’t fictional, after all. Concrete proof of results, whether through hard numbers or the testimony of individual service user case studies, can be used to draw attention to a council’s use of innovation, data and technology – and thereby offer a more positive narrative about local government during a time of undoubted difficulties.  

Communication channels: a smorgasbord of options  

My role at London Councils is focused on media relations. While most press releases about local authority innovation probably won’t become the national headline story on the BBC News at 10 (n.b. it’s always worth managing expectations and having realistic communication goals), there are umpteen other media outlets that may be interested.

Local newspapers and similar media will be a priority for a council keen to share information with residents and raise awareness of its work. The sad decline of the local press means there are fewer local titles than there once were, but those still remaining will cover stories that hold clear relevance to their readers. Plus, in the absence of a newspaper as such, there may be local blogs and similar online news sources worth engaging with.

Sharing announcements and updates with more specialist media can also help a council achieve its communication aims. For example, the local government trade press such as LGC and the MJ, or the data and tech-focused UK Authority, are looking for newsworthy developments with implications for the wider sector. 

Of course, media relations is only one part of the wider spectrum of communication activity. A council uses an array of channels to tell its story – such as social media, newsletters, events. There are more. All bring opportunities for promoting a council’s work around innovation, data and technology to an audience. 

My obvious-but-crucial advice to colleagues working on these sorts of projects is to communicate with your borough’s communications team! They are the specialists who can give advice and, if appropriate, incorporate your work into the council’s communication outputs. 

Holding regular catch-ups and providing updates – particularly on anything potentially newsworthy and/or relating to the council’s top priorities – can be hugely helpful for keeping your work on the comms team’s radar. If your communication colleagues are in the loop, it is far more likely that your work will become part of their work. 

Better still, give them the chance to contribute to your strategy and shape project goals from the outset. By integrating comms considerations, this will ensure alignment and objectives that work best for everyone. 

It would be great to see more awareness of councils’ achievements with innovation, data, and technology. While no easy task, we know there is important work taking place that merits attention. A council’s communication resources are vital to making this happen, and can include innovation, data, and technology as part of the story a council tells about itself.