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Communications Strategy


WINTERSLOW PARISH PLAN STEERING GROUP

COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY

2009

Forward

The 'Communications Strategy' will enable the Steering Group to communicate its vision and ambition to ensure we listen to and communicate with the community, stakeholders and partners. It will demonstrate how we intend to engage with people in order to ensure that our decision-making processes and resultant action plans, enshrined in the Parish Plan, reflect the desires and aspirations of the people we represent, the Community of Winterslow.

The Communications Strategy will be used to demonstrate the planned and sustained effort undertaken to establish and maintain good will and mutual understanding between the Steering Group and members of the community.

The principal aim is to give ownership of the Parish Plan to the community by ensuring that contributions are sought from the widest possible range of people, groups, organisations and interested parties who have a desire to influence the development of the environment in which we live. This will be achieved by: -

  1. Identifying core principals and methods of consulting with the community, stakeholders and partners in a consistent and inclusive manner
  2. Actively involving the community in the production of the Parish Plan.
  3. Providing clearly defined two-way consultation processes.
  4. Encouraging involvement by the community and facilitating feedback
  5. Refining newly generated ideas and solutions.
  6. Empowering the community.
  7. Demonstrating an understanding of the strength of public opinion.
  8. Demonstrating a willingness to respond to differing views.

 

Above all, through good communications, we must continually demonstrate that the Steering Group are undertaking the task of producing the Parish Plan on behalf of, and to the benefit of, the community of Winterslow.

Mick Brown

Chairman of the Parish Plan Steering Group


Introduction

This Strategy has been developed in order to support the Parish Plan Steering Group in its delegated task of representing the community views through the production of the Parish Plan.

The Steering Group acknowledge that the success of the Parish Plan depends on the community having "ownership" of its sentiment, content, conclusions and action plans. They also identify that this can only be achieved by the utilisation of "good communications" to facilitating open and honest debate resulting in a document that truly reflects the wishes of the community.

The Steering group, having been given a mandate to represent our community, commit to utilising all methods of communication in order to discharge their responsibilities and produce a Plan, which will provide the "Blue Print" for the enhancement and future development of Winterslow.


Through Good Communications



OUR COMMUNITY
OUR FUTURE
OUR PLAN


Why Do We Need a Communications Strategy?

We need a Communications Strategy because: -

 

  1. Good communications are essential to understanding the needs and aspirations of local people.
  2. Two-way dialogue is required for the Parish Plan to be reflective of community views.
  3. It informs the people about our activities and informs of progress
  4. Demonstrates how we enhance inclusion.
  5. It sets out the framework adopted for seeking the views of residents, partners and stakeholders.
  6. It clearly identifies our aims and objectives.
  7. Communications is the fundamental component of how the community judges the image of the Steering group.
  8. Good communications is essential at all levels of involvement with the Parish Plan process.

 

1.      Public Information
2.      Public Participation
3.      Public Consultation
4.      Public Approval


Aims & Objectives

 

The aim of the communications Strategy is to support and enable the community of Winterslow to participate in the production of the Parish Plan and in so doing express their aspirations and needs for the future.

To support this aim our objectives are to: -

  1. Increase public awareness.
  2. Identify opportunities for involvement in the production of the plan.
  3. Develop ways of communicating and consulting
  4. Maintain continuous communications
  5. Engage people on a regular basis
  6. Enhance the reputation of the Steering Group and volunteers by positive action.
  7. Confirm our commitment to public engagement.
  8. Measure the successful delivery of the Communications Strategy.

 

Key Principals

  1. Honesty
  2. Openness
  3. Accessibility
  4. Clear and consistent communications
  5. Use of plain English.
  6. Timely and updated information.
  7. To be proactive and responsive
  8. Demonstrate a willingness to listen and take account of views
  9. Be innovative
  10. Provide information to ALL who need it


Methods of Communication

 

  1. Questionnaire
  2. Drop in groups
  3. Focus Groups
  4. Surgeries
  5. Updates
  6. News Letters
  7. Word of Mouth
  8. Face to face
  9. Leaflets
  10. Road shows
  11. Village website
  12. Parish magazine
  13. Fact sheets
  14. Newspapers
  15. Working party interaction with community groups
  16. Steering Group & Topic Group meetings
  17. Meeting minutes
  18. Face Book
  19. E-mail
  20. Letters
  21. Lobbying

 

Opportunities to Communicate

 


  1. Key Milestones
  2. "Door Knocking"
  3. In the street
  4. At Road Shows
  5. At public meetings
  6. When working parties interact with the community
  7. Utilising the Community Questionnaire
  8. Surveys
  9. At Steering Group meetings
  10. At Working Party meetings
  11. At presentation of Questionnaire results
  12. During presentation of draft "Parish Plan"
  13. At presentation of final plan
  14. For ever (Parish Plan is a living document)

 

"CONTINUOUSLY"


 

Who Are Our Target Groups & Individuals

 

  1. The Parishioners of Winterslow
  2. Visitors to Winterslow
  3. Service providers
  4. Topic groups
  5. Other parishes
  6. Businesses
  7. Visitors
  8. Community groups
  9. PCT/GP'S
  10. Domiciliary services
  11. Schools
  12. Transport providers
  13. Unitary Authority
  14. Southern Area Partnership
  15. "STAKE HOLDERS"


Monitoring the Strategy

 

Monitoring the Strategy is the responsibility of: -


  1. The Steering Group (strategic)
  2. Communications Strategy Group (implementation/modification)
  3. Topic Working Parties (monitoring)
  4. Parish Council (assessing)
  5. Volunteers (challenging)
  6. Focus Groups (confirming)
  7. Parishioners (utilising)


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