The page is not monitored so contact us via the phone number, email or website details below. Blackwell Parish Council
Social Media and Electronic Communication Policy
Date approved: 12/04/2021
Review Date: April 2022
Introduction
The use of digital and social media and electronic communication enable Blackwell Parish Council (the Council) to interact in a way that improves the communications both within the Council and between the Council and the people, businesses, and agencies it works with and serves. The Council has a website, a page, and uses e-mails to communicate. The Council will always try to use the most effective channel for its communications. Over time, the Council may add to the channels of communication that it uses as it seeks to improve and expand the services it delivers. When these changes occur, this policy will be updated to reflect the new arrangements. Use of Social Media (to be published on Facebook, the website and other sites)
The Blackwell Parish Council Social Media pages intend to:
Provide information and updates regarding activities and opportunities within the Blackwell Parish and outlying villages and promote helpful thoughts and comments from residents within the wards. In order to ensure that all discussions on the Blackwell Parish Council page are productive, respectful, energised, and consistent within the Council’s policy, it asks everyone commenting or using the pages to follow these guidelines:
• Be considerate and respectful of others. Vulgarity, threats,
prejudice, or illegal posts will not be tolerated.
• Differing opinions and discussion of diverse ideas are encouraged, but personal attacks on anyone will not be permitted.
• Share freely and be generous but be aware of copyright laws; be accurate and give credit where credit is due.
• Refrain from using social media pages for commercial purposes or to market products. The sites are not monitored continuously, and the Council will not always be able to reply individually to all messages or comments received. however, it will endeavour to pass appropriate suggestions and concerns to the relevant people. Sending a message or post via social media will not be considered as contacting the Council for official purposes, and the Council will not be obliged to monitor or respond to requests for information through this channel. Instead, users are requested to use the contact details on the website and social media page – [email protected]
Users are requested not to include personal or private information in their social media posts and messages. Council Responsibilities
The Parish Clerk is the designated ‘Council’ owner of the Council Social Media channels and will act as a moderator. Other members of staff can be nominated as additional administrators/moderators to any social media platform. No account details may be changed without permission of the Parish Clerk. Only approved personnel should have direct access to any social media platforms used. Any personal or sensitive information should be handled in line with the Data Protection Act. No images will be posted that include young people without written parental consent. The Code of Conduct applies to online activity in the same way it applies to other written or verbal communication. The social media and electronic communications policy run in line with all other council policies. Individual parish councillors and staff are responsible for what they post in a council and personal capacity. The administrator/moderators have the authority to remove any posts by third parties from council social media pages which are deemed inappropriate and go against the above guidelines.
