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Appendix A

Communications Team – April 2019 – March 2020:

 

Campaigns:

The communications team supports all service areas across the council.  The following are some of those we have been involved with during the 12month period between April 2019 and March 2020: 

1.   The Business Terrace – ongoing: 

·           Business Newsletters

·           Networking events

 

2.   Cobtree Park:

·           Volunteers Week – April 2019

·           Pounding Plastic – May 2019

·           Maidstone Zoo Memory Day – September 2019

 

3.   Maidstone Parks:

·           Children’s Play Area Opens – April 2019

·           Green Flag Awards – July 2019

·           Mote Park Outdoor Adventure Area Opens – July 2019

·           South Park Fountain restoration – August 2019

·           Maidstone Leisure Centre – New Gym Equipment – February 2020

 

4.   MBC Strategic Plan launch – May 2019 

 

5.   The Business Forum – January 2020

·         Stakeholder event

·         Press releases

·         Newsletters

·         Social media

 

6.   Climate Change and Biodiversity: 

 

·      EVC points – April 2019

·      Clean Air for Schools – May 2019

·      Wilding Event – 13 March 2020

 

7.   Arriva Park & Ride – relaunch – May 2019

 

8.   Going Cashless – April 2019 – March 2020 

 

9.   Environmental Health:

·         Flood Wardens – October 2019

·         Mote Park Dam works – October 2019

·         Flood protection – December 2019 – February 2020

·         Food Hygiene certificates – ongoing

 

10.               Mayor’s Community Charity Chest – May 2019 – March 2020:

11.               Grow 19 – September 2019 – January 2020 

 

12.  Democratic and Electoral Services campaigns:

·         Brexit preparations – April 2019 – ongoing

·         Local Elections – May 2019

·         European Election – May 2019

·         Outgoing Mayoral Civic Parade – April 2019

·         Mayor Making – May 2019 

·         Mayor’s Tea Party – June 2019

·         Remembrance Sunday – November 2019

·         General Election – December 2019

13.  Making Maidstone More Active – September 2019 - ongoing

 

14.  Elmer’s Heart of Kent Hospice – Big Parade – May 2019 

 

15. Maidstone Museum:

·         Memory Days – ongoing

·         Steampunk – June 2019

·         Endangered and Extinct – June 2019

·         Festival of Archaeology – July 2019

·         Big Cat Safari Experience – September 2019

·         Black History Month – October 2019

·         Sports Crazy – Putting All in Football – November 2019

·         Father Christmas and Craft Market – December 2019

·         Website Relaunch – April 2019 – ongoing

 

16.   Maidstone Market – Love your Local - March 2020- ongoing 

 

17.  Recycling:

 

·           Bin the Nappy – August 2019 

·           National Recycling Week – September 2019

·           Love your Pumpkin – October 2019

·           Five Ways to Recycling – November -2019

·           Christmas Recycling – December 2019

 

18.  Waste Services:

·           Bank Street Blitz – May 2019

·           Waste Crime Team progress – October 2019

·           Could do better – November – December 2019

·           Responsible Parking – January 2020 – ongoing

·           Road Improvement Schemes – January 2020

·           Week Street Blitz – February 2020

·           Waste Crime Team – Fly-tipping – February 2020

·           Love your Binmen – March 2020

·           A20 Ashford Road Tree Carving and installations – March 2020

 

19.  Maidstone Local Plan Review:

·           Launch of LPR - March 2019

·           Call for Sites – April 2019

·           Call for Sites submissions – September 2019

·           Call for Sites published – November 2019

·           Letter to Secretary of State – January 2020

·           LPR update – February 2020

 

20.  Maidstone – 5 Opportunity Sites – May 2019

·           MIPIM Trade event

·           Video

·           Construction Expo

·           Marketing Brochures & signage

 

21.  Lenham Garden Community – September 2019 – ongoing:

·           Press releases

·           Media interviews

·           Stakeholder event

 

22.  Maidstone Innovation Centre:

·           Innovation Centre launch – May 2019

·           ERDF Funding – September 2019

·           MIPIM Trade event – October 2019

·           Construction Expo – November 2019

·           Rydon Construction partnership – December 2019

·           Spade in the Ground – March 2020

 

23.  Lockmeadow – January 2020 - ongoing: 

 

·          New Landlords – January 2020

·         Lockmeadow Lockdown – March 2020

 

 

24.               Go Green Go Wild – March 2019 – onwards:  

 

·         Wild Meadows – July 2019

·         Small Grant Scheme – May 2019

·         Large project grants – October 2019

·         Autumn Watch – October 2019

·         Bee’s Needs Awards – October 2019

·         Annual Seed Gathering – October 2019

 

25.               Housing Services:

·                     KHG Housing Awards – August 2019

·                     Homefinder – September 2019

·                     Landlord Efficiency Rating – October 2019

·                     Homeless Count – November 2019

·                     Homeless SWEP - December 2019

·                     Outreach Team Grant Funding – January 2020

 

 

26.               Community Protection:

·         Penenden Heath patrols – June 2019

·         Rural surgeries – July 2019

·         Domestic Abuse - including Stakeholder event – May 2019

·         Voice of Maidstone Youth   - March 2020

·         Loan Sharks – January 2020

·         Loan Sharks – Community Protection – February 2020

·         K9 Dog Boarding scheme – February 2020

 

27.               Revenues and Benefits:

·       Struggling to pay Council Tax – November 2019

·       New way of paying online – January 2020

 

28.               Visit Maidstone:

·       Visitor Guides – April 2019

·       Rambling Man – July 2019

·       Proms in the Park – July 2019

·       Walking Festival – February 2020

 

29.               Covid-19 – March 2020:

·         Press Releases x 11

·         Social media

·         Covid-19 Insight Magazine

 

 

Design and Brand:

 

The graphics officers in the design and brand section of the communications team achieved 214 separate pieces of work.

 

Media Enquiries:

The communications team respond to local, national and trade press enquiries throughout the year.  Replying to specific questions, providing copy and articles for publications and arranging TV, Radio and newspaper interviews.

In total we responded to 480 during this 12month period (compared to 271 the previous year).

Press Coverage:

According to Kantar (Precise) – the media monitoring service we currently use, MBC has achieved the following press coverage: 

Media reach = 67.55m people

Value = 12.17m

Total number of items (press cuttings) = 5,053

 

 

Press Releases:

The communications team issued a variety of press releases to support the service area campaigns between April 2019 to March 2020 totalling 138 (compared to 18 the previous year).

April:

·         Innovation Centre – planning permission granted

·         Registering to vote

·         Paying Council tax online

·         Outgoing Mayor Parade

May - total releases 12including:

·         Local election results 

·         Arriva taking over Park and Ride

·         EU elections

·         Improving recycling

·         New Mayor

·         Volunteers week – Cobtree pounding plastic

·         New Leader

·         Proms in the Park

June - total releases 10 including:

·         Street cleaning blitz 

·         Museum exhibitions – Steampunk, endangered and extinct

·         Clean Air for schools

·         Brenchley Gardens summer bands

July - total releases 17 including:

·         Strategic Plan launched

·         Shape your local plan review 

·         Parks and Open Spaces - Green Flag awards for parks and South Park Fountain restored

·         Community Protection – Penenden Heath patrols

·         Museum – Festival of archaeology

·         Visit Maidstone events – Ramblin man, Rock the Mote

·         GGGW – wildflower meadows

·         Business Terrace Summer Networking

·         Launch of Mote Park Outdoor Adventure

·         Electric vehicle charging points

August - total releases 11 including:

·         Biodiversity and Climate change group

·         Not enough money for Brexit

·         GGGW 11 schemes

·         Heritage open days

·         Bin the nappy

·         Museum – Big Cat Safari experience

September - total releases 9 including:

·         MIPM and Construction Expo

·         Fly tipping

·         Maidstone Zoo at Cobtree

·         National Recycling Week

·         Making Maidstone More Active

·         Garden Community at Lenham

October - total releases 11 including:

·         Recycling pumpkins

·         Call for sites

·         Mote Park Dam works

·         GGGW – Bees Award, seeds gathering and Autumn Watch

·         Museum – black history month and new online arts directory

·         Remembrance parade

November - total releases – 11 including:

·         Kent Housing Group Excellence Awards 2019 – 5 categories entered

·         Museum – Football Exhibition

·         Lockmeadow – new landlord

·         Homeless Count and Homefinder

·         Call for sites published

·         General Election

December - total releases – 14 including:

·         Landlord energy efficiency rating

·         Museum – Christmas shop

·         GGGW – Invicta Gramma plant bulbs

·         Grow 19

·         Homeless SWEP

·         Cashless

·         Flooding

·         Maidstone Radio

January -   total releases 11 including:

·         Loan Sharks – Community Protection

·         New gym equipment – Serco

·         Walking festival – Visit Maidstone

·         Room hire for Community Groups – Mote Hall 

·         Flood action week

·         Rough Sleepers money

·         GGGW – Go Wilder grants

February - total releases 9 including:

·         Fly tipper prosecuted

·         Home dog boarder prosecuted

·         Housing Delivery test

·         LPR second stage review

 

March - total releases 18 including: 

·         Innovation Centre – ground-breaking event

·         Cashless

·         GGGW - £20,000 awarded

·         A20 improvements

·         Mixed Grill prosecuted   

 

Social Media:

 

Across the 12month period MBC achieved the following using social media.

 

Facebook:

 

1 April  2019

Followers – 5,257

Likes – 5,029

 

31 March 2020

Followers – 6,780

Likes – 6,024

 

Twitter: 

 

Impressions 28.17m

Twitter Reach 7.08m

Total number of tweets 9119

Engagement 75.37%