Getting credit where its due

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Getting credit where its due..

• Ben Page
• Chairman
• Ipso MORI Social Research Institute
• ben.page_at_mori.com

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Our challenge
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Local government is relatively poorly rated
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Our reputation as institutions is lower than that
of many of the services we deliver
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Decision to focus on the drivers of our
reputation among our own local residents in first
phase of the LGA reputation campaign
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Most important drivers of reputation among local
residents
Greatest drivers ofoverall satisfaction
Perceived quality of services overall
Perceived VFM
Media coverage/mood
Direct communication
Weaker driversof overall satisfaction
District/ Countys performance
Street cleaning/liveability
Positive experiences of contact with staff
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Most important drivers of reputation among local
residents
Greatest drivers ofoverall satisfaction
Perceived quality of services overall
Perceived VFM
Media coverage/mood
Direct communication
Weaker driversof overall satisfaction
District/ Countys performance
Street cleaning/liveability
Two areas we can directly affect locally
Positive experiences of contact with staff
8
Overall Satisfied with Sunderland
Positive drivers
Positive attitudes towards Council (VFM, listens
to residents communicates)
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Good footpath/ road maintenance
12
Satisfied with Housing (as an aspect of life
within the Council area)
8
Satisfied with Sunderland City Council
6
Satisfied with redevelopment/ regeneration
Identify with local area
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Demographic privately renting
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Satisfaction with refuse collection
5
Demographic male
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36 of variation is explained by the model
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Believe can influence decisions in local area
Satisfied with schools
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Southwick Satisfied with City Council (2004)
Positive drivers
Positive attitudes towards Council (VFM, listens
to residents communicates)
Satisfied with Sunderland City Council
25
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Cleanliness of the environment
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Believe can influence decisions in local area
41 of variation is explained by the model
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A Day in the Life ..
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I pick up my kid from school.
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Local schools are very good - in fact its why we
moved here..
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Cromer Road JMI SchoolHeadteacher Mrs P Jones
The sign says...
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Off to the Library. It has won award for being a
good service, but.
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Where is the logo to link this with the Council??
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Next I go to the park
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At last!! A Council logo
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At last!! A Council logo
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On my way home, I see an abandoned car
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June
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June
Notice from the Police
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One month later..
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One month later..
Progress! A notice from the Council
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Clean and green???

• Three years ago MORI reported on the prominence
  of Liveability issues right across Britain
  importance of safe, clean, green local areas
• Falling satisfaction with local environments,
  rising concern about teenagers hanging around,
  graffiti etc
• In 2005, our new report on Physical Capital shows
  the picture looks better
• Focus, investment and innovation have made a
  difference

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It still matters more than most public services
at a local level
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What Makes Somewhere a Good Place to Live?
Q Thinking generally, which of the items on this
list would you say are most important in making
somewhere a good place to live? You can choose
up to five
Select
Low level of crime
Health Services
Clean Streets
Affordable decent housing
Education provision
Shopping facilities
Low level traffic congestion
Public transport
Open spaces
Activities for teenagers
Base 596,000 BVPI survey responses 2003/4
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And, despite progress, remains a key priority for
improvement
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Quality of Life - Ideal vs Needs Improving
Most need improving locally
Facilities for young children
Public transport
Affordable housing
Shopping
Health services
Wages
Job prospects
Sports/leisure
Open spaces
Culture
Community activities
Education
Low pollution
Access to nature
Race relations
Important generally
Base valid BVPI responses
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Vicious and virtuous circles
Physical appearance
Without them sorting the crime part of it out,
all that effort is wasted because theyre
tidying it up and theyre just ruining it
Its pretty pointless giving them the most
fantastic parks if its not safe for them to use
Community
Crime/safety
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Vicious and virtuous circles
Physical appearance
Boarded up properties are a hooligans paradise
Community
Crime/safety
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Vicious and virtuous circles
Physical appearance
Community
Crime/safety
This area is so full of trouble you dont know
who to trust
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Vicious and virtuous circles
Physical appearance
People have changed around our area, more open
and friendly, you can talk to people. The place
is cleaner and people feel better about it
It does look nice now. People from outside are
coming in now
Community
Crime/safety
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ASB is not new.
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But things are getting better.
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Concern about Liveability is now falling
saying very or fairly big problem
Vandalism and graffiti
Teenagers hanging around
Rubbish or Litter
Drug Use
Abandoned cars
Source British Crime Survey
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A reversal of falling satisfaction with street
cleaning
Net satisfaction
Westminster
Stockton
MORI average
Southwark
Sunderland
East Herts
Medway
Camden
Birmingham
Enfield
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Why?

• More coordination, innovation, focus and money
• Wardens, rangers, watchers, more visible street
  teams
• Comprehensive street services, dedicated
  teams/champions and area management
• Citizen involvement cleaner-less days in
  Manchester to highlight resident responsibility,
  local fora to control priorities
• Telling people whats been achieved

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And this really matters for councils
Positive drivers
Satisfaction with council
55 of variation in satisfaction with council
explained by model (BVPI surveys)
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Key Questions on Liveability for all authorities

• Whose crisp packet is it any way?
• Have you rationalised your cleansing, housing and
  grounds maintenance contracts?
• Do you keep the same local sweepers in same local
  area?
• Visible cleaning/clear branding go and do an
  audit are all your staff and vehicles clearly
  branded?
• Do you have a 24 hour guarantee on fly
  tipping/abandoned cars and fill in flycapture?
• Do you know where your grot spots are and why?
• Do you do enforcement seriously? How many fixed
  penalties and whats your payment rate? Do you
  issue over 250 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) a
  year? Do you prosecute nonpayers of FPNs? Do you
  carry out at least 50 prosecutions a year?

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Key Questions on Liveability for all authorities

• Do you tell people you have done it eg after
  removing a grot spot - Advertising/posters/
  leafleting local households
• Do you know how much the service does cost versus
  how much it should cost per household? Have you
  benchmarked yourself recently?
• Do you have an investment programme for your
  parks?
• How many ways can a responsible citizen get rid
  of their rubbish?
• Do you have a litter bin at every bus stop and
  every litter hotspot?
• Do you have dog mess bins and campaign around dog
  bins?
• Do you run campaigns? Are you challenging
  peoples behaviour?
• Bin it and win it?
• Fresh campaigns/innovation/risky/ASBOs?
• Do you use Encams campaigns?

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Key Questions on Liveability for all authorities

• Do you have an agreement with fast food operators
  in your area?
• Do you have one telephone number for all street
  scene problems ?
• Do you have a Green Flag award for at least one
  park?
• Do you get 25 or less in BV199a?
• Do you know which of the four things on this list
  are statutory requirements for all local
  authorities?
• If you cannot answer these questions and neither
  can your managers get new managers and train
  them

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Why communications matter
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Lets look at Kents performance on complaints
Cheshire
East Sussex
Hants
Kent
Base BVPI surveys 2003/4
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Satisfaction with Libraries
Cheshire
Hants
East Sussex
Kent
Base BVPI surveys 2003/4
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Satisfaction with Parks/Open Spaces
Cheshire
Hants
East Sussex
Kent
Base BVPI surveys 2003/4
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Or on Satisfaction with Sports/leisure facilities
Hants
Cheshire
East Sussex
Kent
Base BVPI surveys 2003/4
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Kent is top dog on overall Satisfaction
Kent
East Sussex
Cheshire
Hants
Base BVPI surveys 2003/4
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So is it because Kent streets ahead on
Communications?
Kent
East Sussex
Hants
Cheshire
Base BVPI surveys 2003/4
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To be good at CPA, make sure Comms are
effective..
who feel they are kept well informed about
the services provided by the council
Base All London Councils in ALG consortium
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No top performing councils are poor communicators
who feel they are kept well informed about
the services provided by the council
Excellent rated by Audit Commission
Base London Councils 2003/4 BVPI results
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When did you last send every home an A-Z??
Q Overall, how useful do you find
Useful
Not Useful
Council newspaper/ magazine
BVPP Summary
Council Tax Leaflets
A-Z Directory of Services
Council Website
Base All respondents - Figures are mean average
across participating authorities
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Better performers spend more.
spending over 750k per annum total spend,
staff, print etc
Excellent/ Good
Fair/Weak/Poor
Base 310 authorities 2004 LGA/MORI
Communications Study
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Communications Staffing - under-resourced?
of public who feel authority keeps them well
informed
Number of communications staff in central comms
function
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Tell people what they get for the money
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Buy more lunch for journalists
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Theyre often out to get you.
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Overall rating of local government
Q How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the
way your local council runs things?
Net satisfaction
National Average Rating for Local Councils
Year surveyed
Base c. 2,000 GB adults
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Autumn Council Tax coverage
A recovery since 2003..
Q How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the
way your local council runs things?
Net satisfaction
National Average MORI Omnibus
Year surveyed
Base c. 2,000 GB adults
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Media Coverage - Scale of coverage v slant -
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Latest Analysis of Media Coverage

• We do get a mostly negative press when we get
  one
• Regionals more positive than nationals as
  always, but impact less
• Nearly always about specific local council not
  the sector!
• Do we need better national support for individual
  authorities who get caught in the glare of the
  Daily Mail or Express?
• Danger stories council tax, efficiency, Social
  Services
• Partnerships are good news, and as we say in the
  report
• Stories on leisure, cleaning and greening tend to
  be reported more positively they are also key
  services for the public. The research suggests
  the sector can amplify these more.

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You also have some unique advantages
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Huge latent pride in this region 74 ADVOCATES
Q23 I would like you to select the statement
which best reflects the way you feel about the
North East of England region.
Critical without being asked 2
Dont know 1
Critical if someone asked my opinion
Speak highly without being asked
19
Neutral if someone asked my opinion
Speak highly if someone asked my opinion
Base All North East England residents (1,215),
interviewed April/May 2004
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Compare with inner London 46
Q Which of these is closest to how you feel about
Southwark as a place to live?
I am critical without being asked
Dont know
I speak highly without being asked
I am critical if asked
I speak highly if asked
I have no views one way or the other
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Or the East of England region 60
Q I would like you to select the statement which
best reflects the way you feel about the East of
England region as a place to live.
I would be critical of the region without being
asked
I think so much of the region I would speak
highly of it without being asked
I would be critical of the region if someone
asked my opinion
I would be neutral about the region if someone
asked my opinion
I would definitely speak highly of the region if
someone asked my opinion
Base 1,023 East of England residents aged 16
(10 - 31 March)
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Are you using it to your advantage
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People in Excellent Councils have higher job
satisfaction...
very satisfied with job
Excellent
Good
Fair
Weak
Poor
Base 500 council employees interviewed by
telephone in late July-early August 2003
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Satisfaction with Pay doesnt vary much....it
isnt a critical factor in success, more a
hygiene issue
satisfied with pay
Excellent
Good
Fair
Weak
Poor
Base 500 staff interviewed by phone -
July/August 2003
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Nice people, interesting work - everywhere
very satisfied with job factors
Excellent
Good
Weak
Poor
Fair
Friendliness of colleagues
Interesting work
Working hours
Base 500 staff interviewed by phone -
July/August 2003
75
What seems to distinguish excellent performers is
performance management and listening to staff
very satisfied with job factors
Excellent
Good
Weak
Poor
Fair
Input into job plans
Opportunity to show initiative
Feedback on your performance
Base 500 staff interviewed by phone -
July/August 2003
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What line management skills are most important?
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Being nice does not seem to correlate with CPA
performance
always applies to my line manager
Is approachable
Gives me credit when Ive done a good job
Good
Fair
Weak
Poor
Good
Fair
Weak
Poor
Excellent
Excellent
Base 500 staff interviewed by phone -
July/August 2003
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Listening to staff is particularly
important.......
always applies to my line manager
Listens to my ideas
Consults me on matters where I can contribute
Good
Fair
Weak
Poor
Good
Fair
Weak
Poor
Excellent
Excellent
Base 500 staff interviewed by phone -
July/August 2003
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Change communication
The reasons for change are well communicated to me
Net Agree /-
Excellent
Good
Fair
Weak
Poor
Base 500 staff interviewed by phone -
July/August 2003
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Kenneth Williams on Jackanory 1968
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How confusing can it become?
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Familiar?
Nobody could explain clearly what the authority
claimed to stand for. Even within primary
documents such as the Best Value Plan there is
limited information
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Internal Communications
Change Over Time
Level of Communication
100
50
0
70s
80s
90s
Time
Base MORI normative database
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Cycle of Success
Advocacy
Commitment
Satisfaction
Transaction
Trust
Awareness
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Cycle of Success
Advocacy
Commitment
Satisfaction
Transaction
Trust
Awareness
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Cycle of Decline
Advocacy
Commitment
Satisfaction
Transaction
Trust
Awareness
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Impact of different types of communication
Favourability
Familiarity
Results for major computer manufacturer
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Advocacy - self fulfilling prophecy?
who strongly agree that they would speak highly
of the authority to others outside the
organisation
Overall
Excellent
Good
Fair
Weak
Poor
Base 500 staff interviewed by phone -
July/August 2003
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Building Real Advocacy
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Keys to Advocacy - themes to focus on

• Being able to contribute listening and feedback
• Faith in the leadership/direction - understanding
  the story
• Believing changes will make a difference to
  residents
• Organisational Pride what are you all proud of?
• Communications
• transparency
• honesty
• relevance

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Summary

• Do a few things brilliantly street scene/bins
  and activities for young people appeals to
  everyone
• Over-invest in internal communications
• Talk to each other
• Think carefully about how you manage your own
  people
• Make sure people outside know what you are doing
  and what they get for the money
• As importantly can you
• Be more single minded
• More disciplined
• Get more credit!!!!

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Questions, Comments

• ben.page_at_mori.com