Publicity Plan

Publicity Plan

This plan was discussed and agreed by the Council at its meeting held on 24th March 2021, Minute Ref. 21/50b, amended June 2023.  For review annually.

Publicity Officer

  • This role was originally created in May 2020 to promote the work of the Parish Council to publicise events and activities to residents and the wider community.
  • The full use of communication channels should be used to inform, with social media playing an important part of this role.
  • Reference should also be made to the Parish Council’s Community Engagement Policy.

Obtaining information

  • Parish Council
    • Parish Staff  
    • all Councillors & Committees
    • be proactive in feeding items to Publicity Officer
  • Clubs
    • Encouragement given to the various Clubs within the community to update their website pages and make full use of the village bulletin and social media channels.
  • Residents
    • Invite residents to engage with the social media channels and the website news (not business advertising).
  • Village organisations & institutions
  • City Councillors
  • Colchester City Council
  • Essex County Council
  • Dave Kingaby
  • EALC/RCCE and other advisory organisations.

Areas to publicise information/events

Social Media

  • West Bergholt Hub Facebook page (6.9k members)
    • This should be seen as a key area to publicise due to the number of followers.
    • Since the appointment of the Assistant Clerk the number of posts has increased significantly and are now posted regularly a minimum of 2/3 times a week.
    • The webmaster posts some items. These tend to be links to larger articles on the website.
  • West Bergholt Parish Council Facebook page (1.1k people follow)
    • Since the appointment of the Assistant Clerk the number of posts have increased significantly and are now regularly posted a minimum of 2/3 times a week (aiming for daily) and link to the Hub. The Publicity Office also has access to post.
    • The Webmaster also posts occasionally and adds to the website which also links to the Hub.
    • Followers have increased over the past two years (previous figures 800) and although it may not be seen as the go to place for information it is still needed as an official page and is also the only way the Webmaster can post PC items to the Hub.
  • West Bergholt Instagram (7 followers)
    • Again, since the arrival of Julie there has been an increase in the number of posts (weekly) however as there is such a small amount of followers there remains an opportunity to develop this channel further for a wider reach.
  • Website
    • This should be the ‘Go To’ place for people looking for information on West Bergholt.
    • It covers/includes a full range of information about village life, the Parish Council and also includes access to booking halls. It fulfils one of the key requirements for holding an archive of news & documents for the Parish Council.
    • The website is running on old and outdated technology and needs a full review to advise on a strategy going forward to ensure that it is futureproofed.
  • Bulletin
    • The bulletin is a magazine that is delivered to all properties in the village. It provides a useful source of information for those that are not so technically adept. The magazine is A4 size and printed in full colour. It attracts advertising from local businesses which covers some of the costs, most recently advertising has declined, and costs are not being fully covered.
    • A review is underway regarding the viability and format. This will include a resident’s survey both on paper and online formats.
    • The Bulletin tends to report on past events rather than looking forward and is Club dominated. We recommend that more future events are publicised.
    • An option could be to include residents in future editions to bring variety as well as features on “know your Councillors”.  
    • Need to ensure that contributors know who they should be sending their articles to
    • Backdated issues need to be sent to Dave for archiving (2023) on the website.
  • Posters – should be used as a when to support events and projects.
  • Leaflet drops – as appropriate for key engagement activities.
  • Parish Council Noticeboards by the Co-op & Orpen Hall. 
  • Local paper newspapers for features and events.
  • Monthly precis of Parish Council Activities to be disseminated via communication channels.
  • Creation of a “Youth Parish Councillor” role(s) to sit on Full Council to encourage younger members of the village to take an interest in the work and ensure that the views of the young people are considered. NB This role would not have voting rights.
  • Use of technology (voting and survey tools) to engage the residents on key matters affecting the village.
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