Marcus Chrysostomou (Media & Operations Manager) will be present for this item.
Minutes:
(1) Mr Chrysostomou reminded the Board that he had submitted a report on publicity for Overview and Scrutiny to their meeting in July 2010. He stated that for editors of the local press to be interested in overview and scrutiny there needed to be a story, the process itself was not interesting. One editor was willing to gauge from the public what they would like to see scrutinised. How you engaged the public in scrutiny was a different issue. Big stories generated public interest. Some areas of Scrutiny i.e. Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Cabinet Scrutiny Committee often had topical issues and press releases were issued in respect of them.
(2) Members made a number of comments on this issue which included the following:-
· Some Members referred to the process that used to exist under the Committee Structure whereby a Member of the Committee would agree with the Chairman the items that should form part of a press release after each meeting, the press release would then be produced and issued by the Press office. This used to generate good press coverage.
· Members could feed issues to the press office and request that they produce information for the press in a form that was easy for them to use.
· In the past there was a dedicated press officer for each Committee.
· Local press circulation was dropping which was partly due to the public getting a lot of their information from the internet and other sources.
· Use could be made of existing email circulation lists for groups interested in certain issues and information about meetings could be targeted at specific groups. For example, a good news story about older people could be emailed to all over 65 clubs. The information on this type of organisation and other interest groups was held by the Community Engagement Managers. This would enable press releases and our webcasts to be targeted at those most likely to have an interest in it.
· As we placed advertisements in the local press we should encourage the press to at least publicise our website and webcasts.
· It was important that all channels of communication were considered and that if there was a role for the local press that we should make sure that we have the relationships in place to make full use of that.
· To expect the public to turn up to listen to meetings was unrealistic.
· It was disappointing that the press considered some of the work of overview and scrutiny not to be of interest to their readers when Members tried very hard to be transparent and to engage.
· Referred was made to the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (HOSC) Newsletter which was produced by the HOSC research officer and circulated via email to County Councillors, District Councillors, Parish Clerks and any other interested parties. It was an attempt to inform people about the work of the Committee so that there can be a better understanding of the relevance of its work.
· It was better for us to try to inform the public directly rather than rely on the media.
· We need to look for a method where the public can self select to be kept informed about issues that are of interest to them and they can always unsubscribe at a later date.
· Reference was made to role of Members in picking up issues from their local community and asking questions at the appropriate POSC.
· Regarding the Cabinet Scrutiny Committee meeting that had been held in Edenbridge it was stated that holding meetings in the localities needed to be done for a reason and there must be public interest in the matter to be discussed.
· You should not invite the public to attend a meeting and then tell them that they cannot speak. We still do not have a process for allowing the public to speak at our meetings. The public did not want to just be spectators.
· Press releases for Overview and Scrutiny Suite meetings needed to be more that just a list of agenda items. A press release has got to generate public interest.
· There was a need look at the most effective ways of getting information to the public. If there was public interest in a meeting then the press office need to be there or to be aware of what is on the agenda.
· Reference was made to the discussions that had previously been held on engaging with the public by streaming questions from them directly into the meeting.
· The press releases issued by the Community Engagement Managers, which were very successful in generating public interest in “local board” meetings were mentioned.
(3) Mr Kit Smith was invited to speak on this item. He stated that after one of his POSC meetings last year he spoke to Mr Chrysostomou and asked what the strong stories from the meeting would be and he suggested two, but these were so detached from the work of the POSC that he pulled them. He referred to the Dover Accountability Board (Locality Board) which had a scrutiny function as the Board in relation to any public money spent in Dover. There were a lot of changes going on such as the establishment of Locality Boards and these would have an impact on remodelling the POSCs.
(4) Mr Chrysostomou stated that the challenge was to use different methods to reach people. He pointed out that the Media Centre was currently involved in a restructuring. He confirmed that there was a team of press officers who worked to each directorate. If a press release was produced after each meeting by the press office it would have resource implications, the important thing was ensure that any press release achieved outcomes. He confirmed that his team were working closely with the Community Engagement Managers who were now part of the same directorate.
(5) In relation to public engagement, Mr Chrysostomou confirmed that his officers had a role in informing the public. It would be possible to engage groups in advance of meetings by using some form of database. In relation to agenda setting meetings for POSC and Cabinet Scrutiny Committee there would be a resource implication if press officers were to attend every meeting but there may be changes anyway with the introduction of Locality Boards.
(6) Regarding the use of social media for public engagement at meetings, Mr Sass confirmed that there would be a report to a meeting of the Selection and Member Services Committee, or this Board in due course.
(7) RESOLVED that the Media and Operations Manager submit a report to the July meeting of the Board on publicity for Overview and Scrutiny including the best of what had worked in the past, commenting on the suggestions that had been by Members and put forward some recommendations.