A new Council Magazine 'Stratford View' is about to be delivered through Stratford-on-Avon District residents' letterboxes next week.
Stratford View is a new magazine produced jointly by Stratford-on-Avon District Council and Warwickshire County Council on a pilot basis. Both Councils were keen to produce a publication that is delivered to all residents' doors to improve communication with and between District communities.
The content will be very much geared around presenting important messages and information about services directly to residents. This underlines the Council's commitment to improving engagement with residents and addressing public survey results that indicate that residents want to be better informed by their Council.
The cost of this publication is being financed through advertising income and working smarter by channelling the Councils' external publicity activity (and its associated funding) into the new Council Publication. This means that there has been no new budget cost to either Council.
Councillor Stephen Gray, Stratford District Council Leader says: "I am very pleased that we have been able to launch Stratford View and I am sure that residents will value this improved communication with the Council. We are responding to residents who are telling us that they want to be better informed.
"The production of a joint magazine with our colleagues at Warwickshire County Council is an example of good collaboration between both Councils and a joined-up approach. In practice, residents don't distinguish between the District Council and County Council, so presenting information jointly, in a joint magazine, is the common sense thing to do. We intend to listen very carefully to what residents would like to see contained within the magazine - a residents' panel will meet in July to provide direct feedback and produce future editions that continue to be interesting and informative."
The Local Government Association has actively encouraged councils to produce a magazine since the launch of the Reputation Campaign in 2005 and the New Reputation Campaign 2010. The original 2005 campaign aimed to encourage local authorities to improve their communications with residents, and set out five basic core actions for councils that were proven to improve resident satisfaction when delivered well - one of which is to produce a magazine. The Reputation Campaign was launched following independent research conducted by Ipsos/Mori that there was a strong link between residents' satisfaction with their council and how well the council keeps them informed.
