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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:
· Childrens 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. Mayors 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
· Mayors Tea Party June 2019
· Remembrance Sunday November 2019
· General Election December 2019
13. Making Maidstone More Active September 2019 - ongoing
14. Elmers 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
· Bees 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%