Media and Communications

Media Protocols

This section provides guidance for Members when dealing with the media.

Press Enquiries

The Council has a clear media protocol. This protocol specifies that either the Leader of Barking and Dagenham Council and/or Cabinet Members are the official spokespeople to the media on behalf of the Borough.

Generally, Cabinet Members act as the relevant spokesperson on their area of responsibility. When a Cabinet Member is unavailable, the Leader or Deputy Leader acts as the spokesperson or delegates responsibility to another Member. The Mayor acts as spokesperson on specific Mayoral related events and issues.

Members are free to comment to the media on ward issues, or issues of local concern. It is important you make it clear to the journalist the capacity in which you’re commenting, making a distinction between comments in an official capacity as a Cabinet Member or Scrutiny Chair or as a ward Member/community representative.

For official media comments on behalf of the Council and Borough, Members should direct the media to the Council’s press office who will organise the media response and liaise with the relevant Cabinet Member.

Press enquiries and politics

The Local Government Act 1986 states that: “A local authority shall not publish any material which in whole, or in part, appears to be designated to affect public support for a political party. It cannot give financial or other assistance to any other organisation to publish such political material.”

 If a media enquiry is political or relates to a media release issued by a political party, the response of the Council’s press office will be limited to factual clarification only. All political enquiries will be referred to the Leader of the relevant party to respond to.

 Elections

The Code of Practice on Local Authority Publicity precludes “proactive publicity in all its forms” of candidates and other politicians directly involved in the election after the notice of an election has been issued (normally six weeks prior to the election).

 The Code also states that publicity should not deal with controversial issues or report views, proposals or recommendations in such a way that identifies them with individual members or group of members. Press releases, photo calls, public events and press statements will therefore not involve Members in the six weeks prior to an election.

 Councillors in key political or civic positions can comment on behalf of the Council in an emergency or where there is genuine need for a member quote in this period.

 For more information contact:

Tel: 020 8227 2022

Email: press@lbbd.gov.uk

Barking and Dagenham’s Newsroom Webpage: www.lbbd.gov.uk/news