11th June, 2024
5min read
by Georgia Turner
With less than 40% of eligible voters exercising their democratic right in local government elections, it’s clear that we have a worrying democratic deficit in the UK.
Local government is arguably the provider of the most frequently accessed, wide-ranging services (albeit, for many this access is relatively passive – driving on the roads, visiting a park or yes, having household bins emptied), yet we continue to experience far lower voter turnout than general elections, despite consistently higher trust levels.
Turnout in the 2019 local elections was 32.5%, the 2021 English local government elections achieved 35.9%, and 2023 local election turnout was 32.0%.
In the last General Election in 2019, 67.3% of those eligible to vote did so.
ONS data (Trust in Government Survey 2023) continues to show local government enjoying higher trust levels than national government (though don’t get too gloaty – local gov trust levels are still below 40%, with national government just below 30%).
LGA quarterly ‘are you being served’ survey data put trust in ‘your local council’ at 55% in February 2024 (with average over the course of the research hovering around 60%). Perhaps this slightly more direct link to ‘your’ local council influenced responses, as it brings relevance and proximity rather than asking about a general administrative system of ‘local government’.
Bottom of the trust pile according to ONS are political parties, at 12%.
What can you do?
So what does this mean for local government communicators and our work? How do we find time to make sense of this and build in strategies to increase trust and democratic engagement into our everyday work?
The good news is, the ONS has defined five drivers that influence public trust in government institutions, including local government – and comms has the ability to embrace, embed and demonstrate all of these.
Integrity – in its simplest form, show how your council is doing what it says it will do; that there is no gap between stated intention and action. Where there is, be the voice of conscience – push back and challenge.
Responsiveness – this is us all day long! Media enquiries, social commentary, member requests and more. Evidence how your council has listened and acted on public concerns, feedback and inputs to consultations. Make the most of credible insights tools, such as Orlo’s social listening and trust indicator functionality – to really understand the things that matter to your communities, and to help you decide if, when and how to join those conversations. Once you research and measure the driving factors of trust and distrust amongst your citizens, you can better manage your organisation’s reputation in the community.
Reliability – showcase the things your residents rely on you for – frontline services, protecting the vulnerable and the environment, but also crisis support; how a council responds (and how that response is communicated) during times of crisis is a key driver of trust and reputation.
Openness – make information available proactively, even when it’s contentious. Use data to add validity to your content, but with a strong dose of empathy and human tone of voice too.
Fairness – are you responding equitably, and is your proactive content featuring and relevant to a wide range of communities? How does your social listening enable you to tap in to micro-communities and local trusted voices?
Active listening is key to so much when we’re seeking to build trust and maybe, just maybe, drive up voter engagement in the future. As communications professionals, we can and should be at the forefront of this – we have the tools, we have the insight and we have the innate ability to share that insight within our organisations. If you’re not already, the time to do that is now.
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Georgia Turner
Owner, Georgia Turner Communications
A creative, credible communications professional with 25 years of experience in leading comms, marketing, engagement, consultation and research teams and projects within the public sector. Georgia understands the pressures and possibilities, complexities and capabilities, fun and frustrations of public sector comms and engagement. I use this knowledge to provide advice, capacity and support to my clients for both short-term commissions and longer-term contracts.
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