How to create safe communities in winter through Local Government comms

While we’re still enjoying the summer weather, it may seem a bit daft to start thinking about winter campaigns. However, we’re of the firm belief that it’s never too early to plan ahead. When the nights draw in, there’s a chill in the air, and the festive season approaches, we know local government content calendars can feel like a juggling act with many messages to communicate. 

From gritting updates to holiday event promotions, there’s a lot to manage. But beyond the logistical announcements, there’s a massive opportunity and need to craft messaging that genuinely helps people stay safe and well.

For local government, this isn’t just about what you say, but also about how you say it, and crucially, how deeply you listen to the diverse communities you serve. Your unique position means you’re often the first point of contact for residents, making your proactive approach to winter safety extra important.

It might seem obvious that winter brings increased risks, but the data shows just how vital proactive communications is for local government:

Road safety:

• Darker nights and wintery weather significantly increase road risks, which makes resident behaviour vital in keeping others safe. According to Admiral’s claims data, there’s, on average, a 25% increase in car insurance claims in November compared to April, with 12% of severe incidents occurring in February, and 11% in January and December. This directly impacts emergency services and can put extra strain on local road networks.
• Drink and drug driving is an issue, particularly around Christmas. In 2023, UK police forces conducted 50,000 breath tests as part of their Christmas ‘Op Limit’ campaign. The results showed that almost 10% tested positive, failed, or refused. 6,846 drug tests were also conducted, with nearly 50% of those testing positive. Anti drink/drug drive messaging is absolutely crucial in keeping your roads and residents safe.

Health pressures:

• The colder months place immense strain on health services, which directly impacts local social care and public health teams. NHS England reported an average of 1,861 people in hospital with flu every day in one week in early December last year, a 70% increase on the week before and four times higher than the previous year. These figures show why preventative health messaging around flu vaccinations and germ season in general are crucial, especially from trusted local council sources that can help guide residents to the right local services.

Elderly people:

• Older people and those with underlying health conditions are affected by the cold weather more than any other demographic, directly impacting adult social care services. Age UK research found that 48% of people aged over 60 were worried about heating their homes, and 23%  were concerned about cutting back on food and groceries as a result of expensive heating bills. Again, this highlights the importance of comms around colder weather, heating and looking after your elderly neighbours and family.

So, how can local government comms teams use these stats to better inform, protect, and support the communities they serve as well as ease the pressure on vital services?

Your messaging needs to be more than just factual announcements. It has to be actionable, empathetic, be in plain English. It also needs to directly reflect the services and support your council provides. 

For example, this includes promoting road safety by highlighting highways team efforts and gritter trackers as well as emphasising drink/drug driving prevention through partnerships with police and clear alternative travel options.

It might also involve providing cold weather health advice that links to public health and social care initiatives like home preparedness, vaccinations, carbon monoxide safety, and community support. 

Reach the right people:

Having great content is only half the battle. It needs to reach the right people at the right time. Planning your messaging well in advance is so important when it comes to content that needs to be clear.

If you can prepare content for various scenarios, for example a mild winter, a cold snap, heavy snow etc, you’ll then be able to get your comms out quickly when needed, saving precious team time.

Use different channels:

Don’t just use one channel for everything. Make sure you use multiple platforms for different messages to ensure your message reaches residents where they usually get their information from.

This could be on Facebook or Instagram, but it also means thinking about doctors surgeries, posters in bus stops and leaflets at community centres. You could also consider providing councillors with a toolkit of key messages and resources they can share directly with their constituents.

Segment your audience:

Use audience segmentation where possible. For example, energy efficiency tips could be targeted to specific demographics or areas known to have higher fuel poverty rates, drawing on local authority data, while school closure updates go directly to parents via text or email.

Reporting:

Once your messages are out there, keeping track of reach, engagement, and sentiment is key when it comes to understanding what resonates with your audience and where your efforts are making an impact. This feedback helps refine future campaigns and can inform service delivery improvements.

True communication is a two-way street. To effectively engage your community, your council needs to understand specific winter struggles on the ground. And, while we know that things like fuel costs are a concern for elderly people, it’s crucial we listen to what they have to say about specific topics, to really give them the messaging they need.

Social listening: 

Don’t just post and ghost. Use social listening and sentiment analysis tools to monitor conversations about winter issues. Are people complaining about icy pavements in specific areas? Are concerns about elderly neighbours being raised in specific towns? These are crucial indicators for where your interventions and service responses are most needed.

Offline conversations and consultation: 

The most valuable insights often come from direct engagement. You could organise informal pop-up sessions at local markets, community hubs, or even through established groups. Asking residents directly about their biggest worries this winter, or asking how you can best support them, is invaluable feedback when it comes to tailoring your comms as well as informing the development and improvement of council services.

Outreach with partners: 

Collaborate closely with local charities and support organisations like Age UK, disability groups, and food banks. They have direct relationships with vulnerable residents and can help you identify specific pain points, for example, a lack of accessible council transport in bad weather, or isolated individuals struggling with loneliness. They can also help get the word through their trusted channels, ensuring they reach those most in need of council support.

No matter how well thought out your comms, negative comments are inevitable. Whether it’s a complaint about gritting, a query about missed bins due to snow, or general frustration with council services, how you respond matters. 

Acknowledge comments: 

Don’t ignore criticism. A simple ‘thanks for raising this, we understand your concern’ shows you’re listening and that your council is responsive. However knowing when to respond and not respond is important here. Our blog on when to respond to negative comments gives more detailed advice on when it’s best to leave continuous negative comments alone. 

Redirect and educate: 

Use complaints as opportunities to inform residents about council policy and procedures. If someone queries gritting, direct them to your gritting route map on your council website and explain the priority network for gritting. This turns a single complaint into a public education moment.

For complex or sensitive issues, politely ask them to DM your council’s social media accounts or email a specific council inbox, moving the conversation offline to handle it more effectively and privately.

Share council solutions:

Highlight the actions you are taking and the resources available. If you’ve received complaints about icy footpaths, you might share a post about how residents can report issues via the council’s website or app, or even encourage community snow clearance initiatives that the council supports.

Be transparent about service limitations where necessary, but always pivot to what the council can do.

Your proactive winter safety comms directly contributes to a broader public health goal, reducing pressure on vital services, particularly the NHS, which impacts local health and social care systems. 

This leads us perfectly to our partner CAN’s recent webinar on how we can ‘ease the pressure on A&E services over winter.’

We’d highly recommend giving this a watch as it’s incredibly relevant for Local Government comms professionals.

Why you ask? Because a significant portion of winter A&E admissions are for preventable issues like falls on ice, respiratory illnesses, or conditions made worse by cold homes. 

By effectively communicating preventative health advice, promoting vaccination uptake, and signposting to appropriate alternative services (like local pharmacies, GPs, or NHS 111), your comms team plays a critical role in diverting non-urgent cases away from overstretched emergency departments. 

This frees up resources for those who truly need urgent care and ultimately saves lives. 

Winter comms is always challenging. It can cover a vast range of topics so it’s important to prepare now while the sun is shining, so that you’re ready for when the snow hits.

By adopting a proactive, empathetic, data-driven approach, and by using social media management and community engagement tools like Orlo to listen to your community, you can ensure your residents stay safe, well, and supported through the colder months. Your role in Local Government comms is crucial in this.

Stay warm and keep up the brilliant work!