Digital Tips for Councillors (the second half)

Given that we are in the midst of World Cup frenzy it seems fitting that our Digital Tips for Councillors has turned out to be a game of two halves.  Our first instalment was a product of our session at LocalGov Camp.  Dave McKenna (@Localopolis) has blogged about it here, taking us from 1 to 11.

This week we had an away fixture in the Innovation Zone at the LGA Conference in Bournemouth (#LGAConf14). We were blessed with some great "players" on the real and virtual pitch. We pitched the same question - "What advice would you give to new councillors who want to use digital?"  This is a summary of that discussion:

12.  Don't be tribal - this very much builds on Tip 5 but came at it from a slightly different angle.  Don't let your political tribalism get in the way of following your "opponents" on social media.  You could learn some useful tips (and find out what they're up to)
13.  Invite citizen tweeters in - Twitter can be a great tool for quickly getting service user perspectives which can be used as part of your councillor role.  We heard a great case study from a councillor who was en route to a meeting with the local bus company who used twitter to ask what issues to raise.  Responses were used as part of the meeting.  Powerful stuff.
14.  Remember it's a slow burner - setting up a social media account is not just a case of "build it and they will come".  It will take time to build up interest and followers - "be patient, post regularly but don't be obsessive" were the key messages.
15.  Tweets alone won't win elections - digital campaigning is another tool in the politicians box but will not be enough on it's own.  As one councillor said, "there is no substitute for shoe leather" but there are real opportunities to blend on-line with off-line.  Put your Twitter account on your election leaflets.
16.  10 Tweets don't make a policy - the consensus was that, for councillors, policy making is a serious and multi-faceted process.  Whilst digital can play a positive part in that process (Neighbourhood Plans were used an example) it should not be the main driver.  Be careful of the vocal digital minority.
17.  Make digital a part of induction - is your council allowing you to dip your digital toe as part of new councillor induction?  If not, find out why.  Officers have a part to play in supporting councillors use digital although the consensus was that social media savvy councillors are better placed to support their peers.  Councillor-led / Officer-facilitated seems to be the best mix.
18.  Ignore the trolls - all of the councillors involved in our session had their own personal troll story.  They accepted that this is an unfortunate part of being in public office.  Their advice - ignore them.
19.  Manage your own account - we heard "unbelievable" tales of corporate social media accounts being managed by councils on behalf of councillors.  Broadcasting corporate messages.  Surely not.  Be authentic and manage your own accounts.  It's really easy to tell when you don't.
20.  Develop a relationship with the local press - it's increasingly likely that your local press will have a social media account.  Follow them and encourage them to follow you - column inches will be yours.  @CllrKevin provided us with a nice case study explaining how the Doncaster Free Press now report on his work in their Twitter Round Up.
21.  Think about Standards - all councillors sign up to the National Code of Conduct.  Remember that this applies to your digital world - if you wouldn't do it in a public meeting, don't do it on line.  Don't Tweet in haste - "you get very little time to repent at your leisure".
22.  Content is King - this links to Tip 4.  Whether you choose to share content purely in your role as a councillor or mix it with some personal insights, make it interesting and engaging.  Constant broadcasting is a bit of a turn off.  Obvious, but true.
23.  Digital is more than Twitter - both of our sessions focussed a lot on Twitter (it's how the conversation went) but there are a whole range of tools out there.  Take some time to find out what you want to achieve and which tool(s) best suit you.
24.  Don't be a D**k - in the spirit of honest reporting Tip 24 had to be included.  I don't think this is specifically covered in the National Code of Conduct but the councillors present all agreed that when using digital this is sound advice.  Who am I to argue.

This is part of our Rewiring Local Democracy work - please share your examples.  Please follow us on Twitter: @LDBytes or join us on Knowledge Hub

Local Democracy - Rewiring or Redesigning?

This post is an accumulation of thoughts following a series of events over the last few weeks.  As often happens in life things seem to come together all at once to disrupt the status quo and in particular challenge your own thinking.  This has certainly been the case for me in the context of local government, and in particular local democracy - now and in the future.

It all began when I attended the National Local Government Network (NLGN) Conference in February with my LocalGov Digital hat on.  Whilst the venue was the Magic Circle (an incredible place by the way) if the contributions of the main political parties are anything to go by I feel there will be little by way of magic for local government in the years ahead.  All major parties were present but I was left feeling somewhat underwhelmed by them all. For me the general sub text was that the challenging times will continue and that whilst there is often talk of devolution of power, a different relationship etc it seems to boil down to the simple truth that local government is not a vote winner for the major parties.  The panel in the afternoon all agreed on that.

Despite this I left the conference on a high.  This was because, for the first time in a while, I got a sense of determination and energy from the sector.  The audience spoke of redesign, transformation, systems thinking, collaboration, innovation.  Out of context these can be empty words but I got a distinct sense that local government is "up for" the challenges it faces and is prepared to meet them in a different way.  Ideally this will be with the support of government, but if not it will still happen.  This was most evident to me in the closing piece by Simon Parker from the NLGN whose organisation clearly has a significant role to play in supporting the sector in ensuring that they are not empty words.  Really good stuff.

All of this bodes well for what we are trying to do with and across the local government family with LocalGov Digital.  If evidence is needed of events coming together then look no further than the NLGN Publication - Smart People Smart Places - which was issued a few weeks later.  If more evidence were needed, it makes the growing case for digital as an enabler and acknowledges the role LocalGov Digital has in making this happen.

Fast forward four weeks.  The setting is Edinburgh where the Commission on Strengthening Local Democracy is hosting a Roundtable discussion.  The theme is Digital Democracy.  I have been invited to attend, once again, with my LocalGov Digital hat on.  Representing the collective efforts of some great people is in itself an honour.  With this in mind, a big shout out to Dave McKenna - @Localopolis - with whom I co-lead the Rewiring Local Democracy work stream.

Before I go any further I have to congratulate the Commission on their work.  What they are doing is intrinsically a great thing.  They are coming from the starting point that democracy is valuable, something that we should cherish, nurture and develop.  It is our unique selling point, a feature which sets us apart.  I applaud the Commission for having the bravery to both recognise this and do something about it.  Can we have one please?

The discussion that took place was insightful, challenging, sometimes robust, enlightening and thought provoking.  You can view it in glorious techni-colour here so I wont go into the detail.  The areas that really nudged my own thinking were the challenges generally faced by representative local democracy in the context of a less paternalistic model of local government and the "system" of local democracy in a 21st century / digital age.  Is rewiring local democracy the golden bullet, the panacea that will re-engage local citizens with the voting system, stimulate active citizens, transform accountable decision making?  OR, as Dominic Campbell of FutureGov says,  is it about redesigning the system of democracy, starting again with digital as one (of many) enablers.  It has to be more than bolting digital onto existing systems.  When Dominic described the democratic part of local government as the most important but the most impenetrable it did shake my thinking on a number of levels.  Is this the case?  If so,why?  I don't have all the answers, but as a believer, supporter and active officer who operates in that part of local government it is something I care about.

The final chapter in this lengthy post came yesterday.  The Steering Group met at the Government Digital Service offices.  The experience alone was a massive eye opener.  The culture, focus, leadership and working practices of the team are something to behold.  There appears to be a genuine environment where systems and design thinking takes place in an agile way - "it's about show not tell", "change by doing, not by writing" (brilliant).  I am sure that my Steering Group colleagues will share their insights separately.  For me the clear message I took away was the need for Chief Executives and senior politicians across local government to understand and lead transformation.  The GDS template is a powerful one from which they (and we) could learn.  GDS clearly have high level leadership buy in, and the autonomy that allows them to deliver in a really effective way.

So what does all this lot mean?

1.  I think there is a real appetite for transformation across the sector.  Necessity is the mother of invention etc but it feels like more than that.  Perhaps its the hopeless romantic in me.
2.  Local democracy is massively important, but it feels like it's at a bit of a crossroads.  Do we continue to ignore our unique selling point and the changes around us or move to a position where we treat it with the attention it deserves?  Is this best done within councils or something that demands a sector-led debate?  I can't help but think that Dominic has a point.  IT IS ABOUT REDESIGN
3.  Digital has a place in local democracy and I remain convinced (linked to the outcome of 2 above) that the work we are doing as part of LocalGov Digital can continue to make a positive difference.  We will carry on influencing, finding best practice, sharing ideas and collaborate with the likes of GDS to keep this bandwagon rolling forward.  IT IS ABOUT REWIRING
4.  Harnessing the appetite in point (1) requires leadership and the bravery to do things differently.  Political and officer leadership are essential in determining what happens next and how.  I'd recommend a day trip to GDS for starters.

Networked Cllrs - Some Initial Thoughts

What better way to end my hiatus from blogging than to reflect back on a Round Table discussion I was invited to attend today to discuss The Networked Cllr research piece.  The session was facilitated by the report author Catherine Howe (@curiousc) who was joined by a cracking panel of experts from across the sector - officers and councillors alike.

On a general note I feel the report has provided a bit of a hallelujah moment in that it has empirically and anecdotally given some real traction to areas which some of us have seen as really important for some time.  I've banged on in the past about councillors and social media and, along with others tried to do my bit to raise the profile of the importance of local representative democracy in a digital age.  All worthy stuff but there has always been a need for an evidence base to move us forward beyond what we intuitively thought was the right path.  I think we now have a sound platform from which to build as the report moves through its next iteration.  Comments and views are welcomed on the report and I would encourage you to inform the work as it develops.

In terms of my reflections, I'll start with some grumbles and then finish with some positives.

• Officers, Are You Helping or Hindering? - As a fully paid up member of the officer club I get little satisfaction from reporting that we could really do a lot better to support the development of Networked Cllrs.  Over two years ago when we were doing the CllrSocMed sessions in Yorkshire and The Humber there were a number of themes which emerged in all sessions.  One in particular was the reluctance of officers in IT to open up access to social media and the other was the inherent need for officers to develop codes, protocols and rules that councillors should abide by.  I am an officer who understands that an implicit part of my role is to protect councillors but I cannot ignore evidence that indicates in so doing we are putting barriers in the way of councillors embracing opportunities and potential benefits.  I'll probably look at this in more detail in another post, particularly in terms of the need for a different support model for councillors that is better equipped to tackle these thorny issues.

• Councillors, Are You Leading the Debate? - This grumble follows on nicely from the one above.  Councillors have the solutions to the real and perceived officer barriers at their fingertips.  They take the decisions, have a fundamental role in setting priorities and the culture of the councils they are members of.  If we accept that councillors need the IT tools for the job, access to social media and a support model that facilitates the development of the Networked Councillor then come on councillors start saying that these things are important within your own councils.  Surely a climate where councillors are the best and most effective they can be is one that benefits local residents, the council and, dare I say it, officers.

Moving swiftly on, some observations on parts of the report and todays discussion:

• The Case is Compelling - democratic participation is declining, election turnout figures demonstrate this.  On-line participation and accessibility  is growing.  There is a compelling case to connect these two issues for the benefit of local democracy.  Whilst not the panacea, the Networked Cllr concept is a powerful enabler.

• It's Not About Twitter - I am heartened that there is an increasing number of councillors getting more social media savvy - this is good.  I am even more encouraged that we are, hopefully, moving away from discussions about the tools and beginning to focus on the skills and etiquette of elected representatives operating in digital spaces.  A lot of todays discussion was about being effective in those spaces as opposed to "how do I use Twitter?" or "why should I bother?"  

• Identity and Reputation Are Important - whilst councillors do not want to be bound by rules and protocols (the existing ones suffice e.g. the National Code of Conduct) they are concerned about their identity and reputation in digital spaces.  In particular they want to better understand the rules of engagement in instances where they are interacting with "anonymous" users and those who are "challenging" - trolls.  I would hope that, as the Networked Cllr work progresses, thought is given to striking a balance between equipping councillors with the confidence and support to be effective whilst not binding them with protocols or frightening them off completely.

• Communicative, Collaborative, Co-Productive - I particularly like the way in which the report findings begin to explore the ways in which a Networked Cllr can be active in digital spaces.  The 3Cs provide a really helpful framework for addressing some of the issues raised above whilst also having the fluidity to ensure that councillors are not pigeon holed.  If I understand the concept correctly the 3Cs are inter-changeable and used as appropriate to particular circumstances.  They also provide helpful context around which to consider and construct development.

• Networked - Finally, one message was loud and clear.  Networked is not just about digital.  If a councillor is not networked off-line then chances are that he/she wont pull it off on-line.  This is perhaps obvious, but very true.  We mustn't forget this.

I'm sure there is much more to share, but plenty of time as the discussion will continue - join in if you haven't already

Democratic Digital Engagement - A Blueprint for Local Government?

Democracy Dude

This post was born across the Twittersphere - an appropriate product of the social media age given the subject matter.  Social media facilitated off-line contact between two (as it turns out) like minds.

Anyone who is interested in local democracy, the role of councillors, decision making and forward thinking practice in terms of democratic engagement should follow Dave McKenna (@localopolis).  I did and have nothing but admiration for the work he and colleagues are doing at Swansea.

We have developed a dialogue over the last few months, a dialogue based on our shared passion for local democratic legitimacy and the opportunities that social media presents. Our on-line dialogue very recently progressed to a telephone conversation where we kicked about a few ideas (and our shared liking for New Model Army) and loosely agreed to do something, but we weren't sure what. 


Three e-mail conversations (and much work by  Dave) later we agreed to share what we have so far.  We have tried to take our passions, interests and day jobs and try and set out some ways in which this whole local democracy thing can be made, well, more engaging, exciting and meaningful to local people.  As we pinged e-mails back and forth the challenge was clearly where to stop (should we present our views in the context of the Localism Bill, what about local politics, what are the implications for officers?...).

We came to the conclusion that the best thing would be to share our initial thoughts in their raw form to, hopefully, stimulate a discussion.  Presented below is the fruits of our on-line and off-line labours. It is a first pass at "Five Essential Features of Local Digital Democracy"

What is Local Digital Democracy?

§  Local digital democracy means using social media to make a bridge between the formal world of local politics and the real world of real people

§  It means being clear that local government is not just about services – it has a distinct and important democratic role with elected local councillors at its heart

§  It means recognising that the world is changing.  Social media is changing the way the world works – local democracy needs to catch up

§  It means recognising that local democracy needs stronger citizen engagement

§  It means building from the traditional ways of doing things and using online tools to make them work better and reach more people

Why Local Digital Democracy is Good for Everyone

• The council as a whole is more effective, innovative and efficient  - it helps employees get better connected with decision making and each other 
• The reputation of the council is improved both internally and externally
• Councillors can raise their individual profiles and get their messages across more effectively
• Improved citizen engagement makes for better policy development and decision making 
• Citizens learn more about their elected councillors and can hold them to account better
• Councillors will have better information and intelligence about the patches they represent.  Better informed councillors can lead the debate in their communities and in the council. 
• Councillors can make better decisions by getting the right information at the right time
• Councillors can reach more of their constituents quickly and easily
• Citizens can quickly and easily find information about the decisions that affect their community and the issues that they are concerned about
• Officers can conduct research more quickly and easily saving them time and the council resources
• Young people are provided with a greater opportunity to engage with the democratic process on their terms
• Local politics can reach a wider audience and encouraging more people to vote and maybe even consider public office - local digital democracy can help attract the next generation of councillors and this will definitely be online!

  

The Five Essential Features of Local Digital Democracy

1.         Online Councillors

• Whether blogging, tweeting or facebooking, councillors are the human element of the local democratic process – local digital democracy won’t work without ‘em
• Councillors have democratic legitimacy through elections – their participation gives online democracy legitimacy
• Councillors will need skills, knowledge and tools to be key players in democratic digital engagement.  They will therefore need support from their Councils
• Social media can help local political parties to work more effectively by improving internal and external communiciatons
• Check out ….. to see what is already happening…  CllrSocmed

2.         Social Council Decision Making

• Agendas, minutes and reports tell the story of local democratic deliberation and decision making but the way they are presented and organised makes engagement close to impossible to all but the most dedicated
• By breaking everything down into bitesize chunks, like status updates or tweets, it becomes possible to share, tag and comment.
• Bitesize chunks can also be made transportable so they can be used on whatever social media platform people are using
• You can find some more thinking along these lines at Localopolis

  

3.         Social Council Meetings

• Council meetings are the live action of the local democratic process
• Live tweeting and blogging brings the action from council meetings to a wider audience
• Social media interaction can facilitated to allow online citizens to feedback and ask questions
• Engagement through social media may be the first step to observation and even participating in person
• See the Kirklees experience

4.         Social Local Elections

• Local elections are the most dramatic aspect of the local democratic process but campaigns can be lost in the traditional media in the noise of national politics
• Digital engagement can create spaces, such as online hustings, for local campaign issues to be aired and debated and for candidates to promote their campaigns
• Digital engagement also provides a way for election teams to raise awareness of the elections and encourage higher levels of registration and turnout
• Having social media elections, with social media candidates, who become social media councillors helps a wider group of people make the connection between the ballot box, the individual and their role as community leader and decision maker
• You can find an example here from Calgary

5.         A Local Digital Democracy Community

• Digital engagement in local democracy is not the same as engagement in local government – often this is seen as being just about delivering services
• The promoting of citizenship and online local democracy through initiatives such as Local Democracy Week (I’m a councillor get me out of here) needs a distinctive identity both locally and nationally
• Every local area has a digital ecosystem that can be cultivated and supported – someone needs to be making sure everything works together to produce the best results
• Local councils should take the lead locally and act as local democratic hubs, organisations such as the LGA and LGIU need to take the lead nationally
• National social media platforms, such as the Knowledge Hub can provide the platform for a national democratic community to share good practice and ideas

Themes

Underlying local digital democracy are five themes that help the local digital ecosystem to flourish and need to guide those involved:

§  Connectability – Everything needs to be designed so that it connects to everything else (widgets, links, transportability)

§  Customisability – Everything needs to be set up so people can decide who and what they want to engage with

§  Sociability  - Effective digital engagement will require a whole new language for those involved in the local policy process – the arcane language of council meetings won’t work on facebook.  It also means putting real people at the front of engagement, not functions, teams or meetings.

§  Accessibility – Not everyone is online and not every online person ‘does’ social media.  This means both ensuring that non digital remain effective and that opportunities and encouragement are there for those ‘new starters’ that want to engage

§  Openness – This means both being willing to share information and ideas at all stages but also ensuring that there is clarity, honesty and realism about engagement so that there are no false expectations, and clear   

Councillors, Meetings and Banning Technology

I came across an article the other day that I thought added another dimension to the whole tweeting in meetings discussion.  I've blogged previously about this, seeking to present another perspective to the whole debate.


You can imagine that when I stumbled across the headline "Councillor Calls for Blackberry Ban" I was naturally suspecting that this was another re-run of the usual tweeting in meetings story - same dialogue, different cast.  It transpires that the story, emanating from Canada, had another dimension to it.  The main issue causing consternation seems to be that councillors are using their devices to communicate with each other in the meeting, particularly to "debate issues and plan voting strategy".  I'm not sure what to make of this one to be honest.  On the one hand it sort of has the feeling of school children passing notes in class whilst the teacher isn't looking and on the other it begs the question what are the party whips doing.  Party whips, at whatever level of government, have a key role in party discipline, which includes being clear as to voting intentions.  

That said, I think this article poses some greater and more fundamental questions.  Firstly, I'm not sure that "banning" per se is often the answer to many challenges and societal developments.  In this case it feels at least like one step forward and one step back.  Secondly, the most interesting part of the article to me was not the one that attracted the headlines.  A footnote to the article includes a quote from a councillor who defends the use of hand held devices in meetings:


"Councillors use their BlackBerrys to do Internet research on issues that are being discussed and to communicate with their office staff to get information on a file being discussed which might be pertinent to the debate."


There might be a real case for the research argument - informed debate is, one would think, a cornerstone of democracy and political dialogue.  Do tools like Blackberries enhance this?  Furthermore, communicating with staff (presumably those employed by the councillors / political groups in whatever capacity) during the meeting is a fascinating scenario, one that I have not come across before.  I'm not sure what I think about this, there are opportunities and potential pitfalls when applied to our own system of local government.  What do you think?

About Me and This Blog

I have been thinking long and hard about this blog - should I or shouldn’t I? I wanted my blog to reflect what I am passionate about – for me there’s no point otherwise. The problem is my passion also poses a dilemma (more later).

For as long as I can remember my life (like many of us) has been touched by politics, democracy and “events dear boy, events” . I wouldn’t say that I had a political upbringing, but there was always some

strong messages about the importance of voting and understanding what politicians were “doing for us and in our name”.

As a child I remember the excitement of the power cuts under the Heath government, the Lib Lab Pact, Wilson surprisingly leaving Number 10 and the subsequent Winter of Discontent. I may not have understood the political ideologies and decisions behind those events, but they are part of my past and must have sparked some curiosity. Growing up in Sheffield in the 1970s and 1980s certainly fuelled this curiosity. This was a time when the Labour run council had some fame (and notoriety) for some of its policies – the cheapest bus fares in the country being one that everyone reminds me of (like I’d forget) when I say I’m from Sheffield.

Cheap bus fares aside, it was “Rock on the Rates” that I remember. My teenage (and adult) passion was music, punk rock music. It was the collision of my curiosity and my passion that shaped the course of my life from then on – a grand statement, but on reflection true. I was a teenager who was able to see The Damned, The Fall, The UK Subs (I could go on) because the Council put on these free gigs for young people like me. I remember well waiting in line to get my “free” tickets to see bands that I couldn’t afford to see.

Around this time I had a bit of a lightning bolt moment – somebody had made a decision to make that happen. Not exactly rocket science, but enough to have a real impact on me. Politicians had made a decision to give me the chance to do something that was so important to me.

My curiosity with all things democratic and political accelerated – I developed a voracious interest in the world of government and politics. This interest began in the early 1980s and stays with me to this day. When I wasn’t studying politics I was fascinated by the people and events that characterised that period. Labour under Foot, Kinnock and Smith, the SDP, the Thatcher government, inner city riots, the Falklands War, monetarism, the miners strike, Scargill, privatisation, Derek Hatton, yuppies, the Brighton bombing, North Sea oil… I could go on.

At the same time punk music continued to spin on my turntable (CDs don’t feature until much later), with many bands making social comment about the people and their policies that I found myself studying about. I think you’re getting the picture.

I came out of Polytechnic (now there’s a term that dates me) being clear about one thing – I wanted a job that somehow involved making use of all this politics stuff I’d been filling my head with. I wanted to work with these political decision makers, find out more about them and their world. Beyond that, I didn’t have a clue.

It was a Margaret Thatcher policy that I have to thank for getting my foot on the local government ladder. In the late 1980s the Community Charge (aka Poll Tax) came into being. I got a job as a Trainee Revenues Clerk with Kirklees Council in February 1990. Now, I thought, was my chance to get into this political world. Not quite.

Four years!!! later I managed to get a job that gave me the back stage pass to local government politics I had been looking for – Committee Administrator. Since then I have had many roles working with and for politicians in Kirklees. At the moment I am Assistant Head of Policy and Governance.

In terms of this blog, the jobs I have had aren’t important (CV available on request). What matters is the way those experiences have shaped my values, passions and interest. Working closely with councillors at all levels has made me appreciate what they do, why they do it and why local democracy really matters.

Elections, decision making, openness, transparency, representation, governance, scrutiny, accountability, legitimacy, democracy – lots of words, but ones that are important to me. That’s what this blog is about – my take on this world of local democracy and its key players, the councillors. Councillors like the ones who made a decision to allow some kids in Sheffield to see some bands for free.

Finally, the dilemma. I am an officer working for Kirklees Council, and want that to continue thank you very much. I don’t intend to say anything in this blog to compromise the Council’s reputation or my professional position. So you will get my experiences and views (I hope to get yours in return) about loads of stuff, but there will be no politics, no confidences broken and no trusts betrayed.

I also reserve the right to talk about anything else besides. So be warned, there may be rants.

Now that’s out of the way, let’s get on with it.