Five actions for comms teams facing LGR

Local government reorganisation (LGR) is underway, with many local gov comms professionals already feeling its impact – and others not so far behind. With so much up in the air, it can be stressful to know what to focus on first, and how to prepare for a future that’s still so uncertain. 

We’ve pulled together some practical action points to help comms teams make sense of what they can do now to get a head start, put some firm foundations in place, and feel more in control of what’s coming. 

With reorganisation and elections on the horizon, success for local government hinges on understanding communities deeply and building meaningful engagement. This starts with active listening.

By tracking public sentiment and opinion on LGR-related issues in real-time, comms teams can keep in touch with the evolving needs and concerns of their communities. They can then create relevant messaging and campaigns that will truly speak to local people.

There are so many ways that comms teams can keep a pulse on the views of the people they serve:

• In-person events 
• Inbox listening
• Social media listening 
• Surveys and polls
• Q&A threads 
• AMAs with leaders and community influencers 
• Working with trusted community partners 

Platforms, such as Orlo, that combine surveys and listening tools in one place make it easy to capture questions, sentiment, and follow-ups without logging in to multiple tools and transferring data back and forth. And if your neighbouring districts or county councils are already using a specific tool, it might be worth streamlining so that all data is in one place. 

Action point: Consider the ways in which you currently listen to your communities online, and identify opportunities to consolidate them within one platform (if you’re not already doing this).

We obviously serve very diverse populations, and it goes without saying that change affects different people differently. While some of your communities will be deeply invested in the potential changes caused by LGR, others will likely be indifferent and you’ll need to work hard to engage them.

And one thing’s for sure. In 2026, simply “informing” communities of a decision will leave them feeling disengaged. The more comms teams can bring people on board by using stories told by their own communities, the better. Letting local people lead the narrative builds trust.

Action point: Start thinking about your local communities, and who is likely to be most vocal about proposed changes – positively and negatively. Identify local individuals or groups who have influence, thinking beyond people in power. Start to pinpoint potential advocates and detractors now, and work on building relationships with them for future co-creation opportunities. 

As comms professionals, we also need a “village” to support us through these challenging times. We have an opportunity to learn from peers who are further along in the process than us, share best practices, ask questions and share concerns. Whether you’re in a comms team of one or 21, we can all learn and feel supported from people outside of our own organisations. 

Michael Stringer, Director of Comms at Surrey County Council and Communications Workstream Lead for Surrey’s LGR Programme, said: “As with most elements of our job as communicators, building relationships is fundamental to navigating through LGR. As soon as you can, you should be reaching across any divides between different councils in your patch, understanding each other and getting used to working as one team to support the LGR programme.

“Also look outwards, learn from those who have been through it first to get your head around the nuances and complexities, and as ever, find or build a network to bounce ideas off or compare notes.

“That’s the great thing about public sector comms – we’re one big family, always happy to help and support each other, we just have to remember to make the most of it.”

Action point: We’ve compiled a list below of useful places to access resources and learn from other comms professionals going through devolution. Reach out to them sooner rather than later, and make sure you’re actively building your own comms community. 

• LGcomms Regional Networks – Find people on your patch – free to LGcomms members.
• Future Comms – Development sessions to help your team be future-ready, in partnership with LGcomms.
• Orlo – Be part of our community by joining in-person and virtual events, and roundtables.
• Local Government Association – LGR engagement toolkit
• The LGA’s comms hub has lots of useful information.
• Also look out for the Comms Leaders Network events – join their e-bulletin CommsNet to find out more.