Empowering Resident Voices: Insights from Surrey County Council’s Data-Driven Approach

Did you know that understanding your community’s needs can transform local government services? Surrey County Council has embraced this challenge by creating a ground-breaking Resident Intelligence Unit. In our webinar with the team at Surrey, they shared how data-driven insights and social listening are making it happen.

The Resident Intelligence Unit was established to provide a central place to collect, interpret, and report resident insights and intelligence and to guide, support, and track engagement and consultation throughout the entire organisation.

Surrey County Council’s Resident Intelligence Unit is led by Katherine Shipton, Head of Resident Insight, and supported by Abigail Linyard-Tough, Strategic Lead in Research. Before joining the team, Katherine worked in market research, focusing on customer experience, which lends itself well to improving resident experience in Surrey.

A new team for a new way of working!

Surrey County Council’s innovative Resident Intelligence Team has helped revolutionise utilising customer data for better outcomes for Surrey residents. By integrating data points like surveys, social media insights, and consultations, they’ve created a centralised system to understand their residents’ needs. This data-driven approach ensures that every decision they make reflects the voices of the people they serve.

Data, data, data! The power of social listening for local government

Social listening is more than just a tool to monitor online conversations, it’s about finding actionable insights in real-time to understand topics and conversations. Public sector organisations can use social listening not only for topics relevant to their sectors but also for nationwide issues to inform members of the public they serve and their employees. With social listening, organisations can gather important metrics to understand who they serve, from demographics and emotions to sentiment, the topics that matter to them most, and levels of trust.

The X Debate!

It’s safe to say that we’ve all seen the recent shift of activity on X and many organisations are asking ‘Shall we stay or shall we go?’. The question here is should public sector accounts still be on X and why? The rise of new channels over the last couple of years, such as Threads and more recently Bluesky, have offered alternative platforms to allow people to move elsewhere. But with many users still on X are you missing out if you are not using this as a channel for social listening? And have you done your research before making a decision?

Understanding and acting on the needs of your community is no longer a nice-to-have – it’s a must for local government leaders looking to create meaningful change. Surrey County Council’s Resident Intelligence Unit showcases how a proactive, data-driven approach can transform public sector delivery. By leveraging tools like social listening and centralising data from multiple sources, councils can stay attuned to their residents’ needs and make informed, impactful decisions.

If your organisation is navigating challenges around social strategy, communications, or decision-making, there’s never been a better time to embrace the power of data. As highlighted in our webinar, having the right insights at your fingertips ensures that every post, policy, or initiative resonates with the people you serve.

Want to learn more? Watch the on-demand webinar and discover how evidence-based decision-making can empower your community and drive real results.