Forum Topic

The Borough Council and it's communications endeavours

We are blessed with computers, blessed with this Forum and other local ones..and the London Borough of Hounslow releases lengthy videos via it's Webcam service of Council Meetings past and present in progress.Want to see Cllr Phil Andrews in action?  just click away with your mouse. In fact you can see all 60 Councillors in action in this way..especially when they deliver a speech.In four months time the new Administration will be halfway through their term in office.  It's essential therefore that their "vision for Hounslow" is well broadcast..and achievments are publicised as effectively as possible.  In my view the webcam service should be extended to include a "YouTUBE type facility whereby the Leader and his colleagues could formerly report one or two matters fairly regularly.Borough residents will then have less need to say that they don't know what's going on, misunderstood expenditure on say the "H Logo" change could be explained better, and so on..At last week's Executive Meeting..see the webcam broadcast..it was interesting to hear Cllr Mark Bowen say that constituents speak to him , they more often compliment the Council for their successes in dealing with dodgy landlords,dodgy house developement, and the dodgy claiming of benefits..rather than mentioning that 0% Council Tax achievement. These triumphs are being well reported in the local press.The law abiding folk are seemingly happy to hear that the Council is these days less tolerant of those who ignore our modest rules.However the Executive Meeting suggested that few under 40yr olds read the local press and were more likely to gleen their local news from on line sources.   W4.com and TW8.com were mentioned by Cllr Adrian Lee as being fonts of information..not just the Forums but the Newsletters and front page too.Hear Phil make his impressive contribution!! I believe he was gunning to share the top Communications Job (a new portfolio?) with the Leader Cllr Peter Thompson...but the quietly spoken Cllr Thompson muttered to the microphone.. "no thanks, thanks for the offer..but I'd rather do it myself!"    Phil performs very well..and his diction seems flawless..and we know how good his correspondence is! By the way, I have asked for Cllr Peter Thompson's mic to be turned up..so we can more clearly hear his chairmanship words.How do you think about any of this.

Jim Lawes ● 6732d4 Comments

Indeed, you have jogged my memory, Justin. I now recall the Alex Aitkin (Chicken) affair. What a fiasco! John Inglis, the founder of Twickenham OnLine, made quite a story of it and was accused of political bias.

Steve Taylor ● 6730d

Steve, I think you were right about Twickenham Online - there was an item in Private Eye some time back about the Richmond Council's attempts to stop anyone working in the public sector from contributing. Richmond Council's press department had been taken over by the Westminster team who are proposing that they be appointed to run Hounslow as well. Alex Aitken the Director of Communcations at Westminster has regularly featured in Private Eye since he attacked a political opponent whilst dressed as a chicken.

Justin Harris ● 6730d

I agree with Jim's views on communication and agree that Phil's contribution to the 'communications debate' was most impressive. I was somewhat amazed that the Leader did not embrace Phil's  'offer'  to take communications on board given the Leaders workload. My first reaction to this was that if communications is one of the Leader's responsibilities.............. Andrews should be Leader!!!???? As jim says his communications, diction and correspondence are almost flawless and at least one can hear him when he speaks via webcam, unlike some of the others. In any event I am pleased to see that forums such as this and W4, Hammersmith and Putney  are used by many Cllrs to put across their views, answer resident questions, enter into debate and often take verbal abuse but I am dismayed that so many in Hounslow  seem to see the use of these forums as beneath their station? We have regular vital contributions from Phil Andrews, Paul Fisher, Matt Harmer, Andrew Dakers, Jon Hardy, John Connelly and Ruth Cadbury. But what of the rest of our Cllrs especially the Lead Members?Why do we never receive contributions or answers to our questions from other Lead Members? I believe it should be mandatory for ALL Lead Members and the Council Leader to embrace the voters and start communicating with the people. One sided press releases are not an answer in this electronic age. People want answers to their question. We have seen this week how contemptuous the media and the public (including his own back-benchers) are over Peter Hain's simple press release / reading of statement / refusal to answer questions. Peter Hain stands accused. He has not yet been found guilty but the fact that he refuses to answer any questions speaks volumes and is indicative that he is not worthy of the office he holds. If Cllr Thompson wants to do the communications job himself he had better start communicating himself and set an example for his executive. Phil Andrews raised the issue of the ridiculous thread over £44million disappearing from the pension fund. That rumour could have been nipped in the bud if the Leader had replied on this forum!  MPs and MP wannabees should engage with the public too. Twickenham OnLine was used daily by Vince Cable and Lib Dem Cllrs while the Tories refused to acknowledge it. I understand that Tory Cllrs were actively discouraged from responding OnLine and look what happened to them in Richmond!

Steve Taylor ● 6730d

JimThanks for your kind words, and for the plug for what was indeed a very interesting debate.My comments about elevating communications to a dedicated portfolio were made in order to stress the importance of this aspect of our work.  For me communications incorporates a whole range of relationships, not least the engagement of the community in the decision-making process.  Whilst progress has been made on this front by comparison with the previous administration, it has in my view played second fiddle to other priorities such as low tax and I am determined that this very fundamental priority of the coalition administration must henceforth be pursued far more vigorously.I don't believe that our failure to emphasise this aspect of our programme has been the fault of our coalition partners, neither as far as I can see is there any reluctance to pursue it.  Rather it has been a result of our own preoccupation with other aspects of our work - most of my first year was taken up, incredibly, with fighting the old guard at Hounslow Homes and their supporters in the Labour Group in an (ultimately successful) effort to drive through the principle of a universal right of participation for tenants on our estates.  In the second year there has been a lot of work on the community cohesion front, including transforming Hounslow Against Racial Harassment (formerly the Multi-Agency Partnership Against Racial Harassment) into a proactive, campaigning body.At the moment communications is one of the Leader's responsibilities and I was concerned that, with all the other tasks which he is required to oversee, he would not be able to dedicate the time to this exciting new project which it clearly requires.  He gave his assurance at Executive that he would, and that is good enough for me.  My only concern is that the work is done and done well - who does it is unimportant.In the absence of a good communications strategy we find ourselves constantly fending off ever more absurd stories, such as the untold millions of pounds to be spent on rebranding and the disappearing £44 million from the Pension Fund, not to mention the very real concern of a still inadequate community engagement programme.Whilst I firmly believe that New Labour will be in opposition for some considerable time to come, one has to plan for the worst possible scenario and I would hate a resurgent New Labour administration to inherit an organisation in which all the old dodgy practises and inherent inequalities remained intact.  If I have anything to do with it, this ain't gonna happen.

Phil Andrews ● 6732d