Press and Media Policy
1. Introduction
The purpose of this policy is to define the roles and responsibilities within Heckington Parish Council (known as “the Council”) for working with the press and media (known as “the media”) and deals with the day-to-day relationship between the Council and the media.
It is not the intention of this policy to curb freedom of speech or to enforce strict rules and regulations. Rather, the intention is to establish a framework for achieving an effective working relationship with the media. The Council welcomes the opportunity to talk to the media and, through them, to debate issues in the public arena.
2. Key Aims
The Council is accountable to the local community for its actions and this can only be achieved through effective two-way communications. The media – press, radio, TV, internet – are crucially important in conveying information to the community so the Council must maintain positive, constructive media relations and work with them to increase public awareness of the services and facilities provided by the Council and to explain the reasons for particular policies and priorities.
The media themselves have a vital role to play on behalf of the local community in holding the Council to account for its policies and actions. It is important that they have access to Officers and Members and to background information to assist them in this role. To balance this, the Council will defend itself from any unfounded criticism and will ensure that the public are properly informed of all the relevant facts using other channels of communication if necessary.
3. Legislation
In developing this Policy, Heckington Parish Council has taken into account all current appropriate legislation; the Government’s Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity. Some extracts from the Code are relevant to this policy:-
- ‘Any publicity describing the Council’s policies and aims [and the provision of services] should be as objective as possible, concentrating on facts or explanation or both.’
- ‘Publicity touching on issues that are controversial, or on which there are arguments for and against the views or policies of the Council should be handled with particular care. Issues must be presented clearly, fairly and as simply as possible, although councils should not oversimplify facts, issues or arguments.’
- ‘Publicity should not attack, nor appear to undermine, generally accepted moral standards.’
- ‘Local authorities should not use public funds to mount publicity campaigns who primary purpose is to persuade the public to hold a particular view on a question of policy.’
In particular, Officers and Members should always have due regard for the long-term reputation of the Council in all their dealings with the media. Confidential documents, exempt Minutes, reports, papers and private correspondence should not be leaked to the media. If such leaks do occur, an investigation will take place to establish who was responsible and take appropriate action in accordance with the Standing Orders and Code of Conduct adopted by the Council.
When the media wish to discuss an issue that is, or is likely to be, subject to legal proceedings then legal advice should be taken before any response is made.
There are a number of personal privacy issues for Officers and Members that must be handled carefully and sensitively in accordance with the Council’s policies on Freedom of Information and Data Protection. These issues include the release of personal information, such as home address and telephone number (although Member contact details are in the public domain), disciplinary procedures and long-term sickness absences that are affecting service provision. In all these and similar situations, advice must be taken from the Parish Clerk before any response is made to the media.
4. Contact with the Media
When responding to approaches from the media, the Chairman of the Council should be the authorised contact with the media in consultation with the Parish Clerk. However, if the subject of an enquiry relates to the work of one of the Council’s Committees, the Chairman of the Council may delegate the authorised contact role to the Chairman of that Committee.
Statements made must reflect the Council’s opinion. Other Councillors can talk to the media but must ensure that it is clear that the opinions given were their own and not necessarily those of the Council.
Caution should be exercised when submitting letters to the editor for publication in newspapers.
There are occasions when it is appropriate for the Council to submit a letter, for example to explain important policies or to correct factual errors in letters submitted by other correspondents. However, such letters should be kept brief and balanced in tone and correspondence should not be drawn out over several weeks.
Letters representing the views of the Council should only be issued by the Parish Clerk following agreement by the Council or relevant Committee. If individual Members choose to send letters to express their own opinions on Council policies, they are strongly advised to check their facts first with the Parish Clerk. It should always be made absolutely clear whether the views put forward are those of the Council or of an individual Member.
At all times consideration should be given as to how the correspondence may affect the reputation of the Council.
5. Attendance at Meetings (see also Heckington Parish Council Standing Orders)
Agendas and minutes of meetings will be supplied to media outlets together with dates of meetings being available on the Council’s website. The Local Government Act 1972 requires that all agendas, reports and minutes are sent to the media on request, prior to the meeting. The media are invited and encouraged to attend Council and Committee meetings and seating and workspace will be made available. Any filming or taping of Council or Committee proceedings by the media must be with prior notice to the Parish Clerk and Chairman of the particular meeting.
6. Press Releases
The purpose of a press release is to make the media aware of a potential story, to provide important public information or to explain the Council’s position on a particular issue. Any Member may be involved in drafting a press release, however they must all be issued by the Clerk on behalf of the Chairman, following agreement by the Council or relevant Committee, in order to ensure that the legal framework principles outlined above are adhered to, that there is consistency of style across the Council and that the use of the press release can be monitored.