The best Forum around a challenge from Dulwich Cllr James Barber

[Dizzy]

But they might have the 'bottle' to trial it at least although I don't think it is a case of needing to have any 'bottle' really.

 

It may just be what is needed for both the council/councillor's themselves and also for us (the peasants).

 

If they don't try it then how can they or anyone else say, or indeed know, if it would or wouldn't work or make any difference.

 

I suppose we could all just stay in the same ruts indefinitely with the tarred brush sticking wherever it is thought to be stuck

[WBCouncil]

Hi all. Just occasionally, we at the council like to confound your expectations of us and reply to posts on this forum to show that we do have the bottle to engage in debates. You're right that we won't always reply to every thread but that's mainly because we don't have the resources to monitor and answer every post, blog, forum debate or news article comment but we would like to hear from you about how we can better interact with users of this forum.

 

For now, many of the ways you refer to already exist:

* You can befriend us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/warringtonbc - we do reply to questions and follow up on issues raised on our page

* You can follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WarringtonBC - we use this site to send out alerts about news and events and have about 2,500 people following us

* You can create a new e-petition on our council website, or sign up to support an existing e-petition here: http://cmis.warrington.gov.uk/cmis5/EPetitions.aspx - and while you're there, please take the time to 'back the bid' to bring the Rugby League World Cup to Warrington in 2013

* You can email us at contact@warrington.gov.uk and we'll aim to get back to you within 24 hours with a response

* And in the next few months, we're looking to launch an updated version of our website to include a discussion forum (even if it creates hellish problems for moderation!), blogs and updates from councillors about events and activities in their wards and we're also looking to release our new iPhone and Android-version apps for people to personalise their content by postcode

* Of course, if none of the above works for you, we hope that Contact Warrington will soon be branching out into additional locations in Warrington Market and the bus interchange to provide even more information across the town centre. Or you can ring our 01925 443322 number during working hours and on Saturday mornings.

 

If there's more that you think we should be doing and don't mind us dipping into debates from time to time where we think we can help out with an answer to your queries, then we'd be glad to hear from you.

 

Thanks

WBCouncil

[Cleopatra]

Hummmm.... a genuin wbc posting or what?

[Dizzy]

Hmmmmmm... and comments like that are probably the very reason why the council or other councillor's don't post on here Cleo

[Bill]

Come on Cleo think about that. Why would anyone want to call themselves Warrington Council? It’d be like me wanting to post under the name Harrold Shipman just for the heck of it. Plus the fact you can see they’ve posted here in the past.

 

Nope looks genuine to me so welcome back WBC and lets hope that you can give your perspective on some of the things that go on here.

 

Bill

[WBCouncil]

Can assure you, Cleopatra, that we're genuine and will do our best to keep up with the main debates...

[Dizzy]

Hi WBCouncil

 

A very informative post and seems to me that there are a lot more ways of contacting the council/councillor’s than perhaps many knew about. I am not a fan of facebook or twitter though as I often mention but I may have just been persuaded to try it a few times now

 

I have often used the Contact Warrington number to report problems/issues and they are pretty good to be honest and very friendly and polite. It would sometimes be far easier to actually speak to someone in the relevant department and explain directly rather than to have messages being passed on and maybe getting a little 'confused' in the process. I understand that to speak directly is not really possible as that would then take up the time of the department in question thus leaving less time for them to actually do their job, but I thought I would mention it anyway as it can be frustrating at times.

 

In addition no feedback is ever given to say if anything has actually been done or not with more serious issues. If someone reports something electronically do they get feedback and can they monitor the progress of their submitted request/complaint/issue? Is feedback more freely available via facebook ?

 

 

As for this forum, well yes there are often topics where it would be good if there was some form of council interaction every now and again even if that is just to correct assumptions, offer advice or give a different perspective on an issue or story. Maybe even the odd personal view too or is that not allowed?

 

The issue of the 20mph Speed Limit rollout (which will affect everone) could be a great one to start with as I'm sure the council must have noticed the many pages of discussions about that but never one have there been any comments made to squash rumours or to clarify certain points etc.

 

The council could also use the forum to advise people about other local issues/events/highways issues/ future plans (anything really) as although info often exists on the council’s own website most people don’t bother looking on there very often unless they are looking for something specific and many people may never look at all.

 

They could also have a section on here where they list current consultations as quite often in the past there are consultations which just slip through the net and people are not aware of them. Yes they are sometimes reported on various news pages but if you miss that days news you don't know about it and even if you do see them you often forget. Yes they are on the councils website somewhere but like already said most people will not think to look.

 

Hundred’s of people read this forum site daily (members and non members) so it’s a great way of spreading the word. It would also stop me having put your events on the forum calendar when I spot them too.. YOU could do it yourself.

 

The forum does often seems very one sided though as we all chat/moan away and the council finish up getting a lot of ‘stick’ when maybe there is no need for that. Being more interactive with the public and of course us forum 'peasants' and showing a more human side could actually reduce the amount of criticism thrown 'your' way (although it could go the other way as has occasionally been seen on the news page comments but you are all a thick skinned bunch so we keep being told and the forum is properly moderated so it shouldn't be a problem)

 

Clr Geoff S and Clr Paul K have clearly earned a lot of respect for posting on this forum over the years and for being one of the crowd even though people like myself may not be a supporter of their party. In my eyes and probably other people's too they have both become a person in their own right rather than just a ‘councillor from a certain party’ and ones that I would not hesitate to contact as they would do what they say they would do and that they really take an interest in what people think. You sort of see people in a different light when you actually get to 'know' them a little better ..... actually Clr Paul K is probably getting fed up of me ringing him now when I can’t sort something myself or have an issue which needs quicker action that the council are giving. I bet he is dreading the snow and ice coming again too

 

There are also some councillor's who take the time to post in their own names on the news pages too and that’s always good to see. Shame they don't take the plunge and come on the forum once in a while though.

 

I’m rambling sorry, but I hope all that made a little sense and you did ask.

 

Good luck with your own council forum... like you say it may well be a hard one to moderate as no doubt all the political twaddle and stone throwing may take over what should be sensible and productive debates. You never know though.

 

PS If you ever need an extra moderator my hourly rate is very reasonable

[Dizzy]

Oooops sorry that WAS a rather long and rambling reply wasn't it

[Bill]

Blimey Dizz, with post that long they’ll need to be employing more people not less!

 

Are you sure you’re not already a councillor Dizzy because calling people by their Christian name followed by a single letter is effectively full blown council speak!

 

Bill G

[Cleopatra]

But my 6th sense is still telling me that all is not as it seems so I will go with my 6th sense and we shall wait and see.

A name followed by WBCouncil would have been more convincint methinks.

[Dizzy]

I did that as on here I call Geoff 'Geoff' and used to call Paul 'Paul'.

 

That's who they are to me ie Geoff and Paul. I hope Geoff doesn't mind that as I have never met him or spoken to him off here so maybe that's a bit rude

 

However, when referring to them in their official capacity I stick the letters 'Clr' before their names but they are still Geoff and Paul to me. Incase there are any other councillors also called Geoff and Paul I then stick the first letter of their surname after their first name le 'S' and 'K' so as to avoid any confusion.

 

It would be odd if I called Geoff 'Geoff' but then suddenly referred to him as Clr G Settle in another post.

 

Why on earth did I even feel like I needed to explain that to you Bill G

 

Dizzy <blank>

 

Now WHERE WERE WE....................

[Dizzy]

Cleo.. are you always so sceptical or are you just trying to put WBCouncil off posting

 

They are clearly from the council so can we get back on track now as I have just sent it off track now too by replying to Bill.

 

Perhaps you too could suggest some ways in which the council and its representatives could make use of the forum, interact more with people or the other things mentioned in their post

[Bill]

You didn't explain anything Dizz, you just made something simple look like hard work.

 

One of the most boring bits of my life was sitting at the same table as a load of councillors at a charity do. You don't need me to tell you the sort of things that were being said but Bill G had had a belly full and was glad to make his excuses to leave.

 

Bill

[Dizzy]

That was my intention Bill....

 

So do you have any suggestions in reply to WBCouncil's post and comments then as you are supposed to be a wizz with forum usage and interacting.

[Cleopatra]

Cleo.. are you always so sceptical or are you just trying to put WBCouncil off posting

 

They are clearly from the council so can we get back on track now as I have just sent it off track now too by replying to Bill.

 

Perhaps you too could suggest some ways in which the council and its representatives could make use of the forum, interact more with people or the other things mentioned in their post

 

I am not really sceptical at all Dizzy. My 6th sense has never let me down yet, but, I have let it down by going against what it was telling me. Then I have had cause to regret it.

Dizzy, dear, you get back to the subject, discuss it all you wish. I will just sit back and watch for the moment of revelation - when a light is suddenly swithed on.

[Gary]

 

To effectively run a surgery on a local public forum is one of the best uses of the Internet I could think of and if someone’s doing that already then they must be doing something very right.

Bill

 

Our forum has become THE surgery for Warrington!

[Gary]

I am not really sceptical at all Dizzy. My 6th sense has never let me down yet, but, I have let it down by going against what it was telling me. Then I have had cause to regret it.

Dizzy, dear, you get back to the subject, discuss it all you wish. I will just sit back and watch for the moment of revelation - when a light is suddenly swithed on.

 

Cleo- you need to check your 6th sense as I can confirm the Warrington Council member is the council's communications team.

I know for a fact they checjk out our website and forum every single working day - and probably have a peep at weekends as well.

For many organisations around Warrington - this website has become a focal point for finding out what is going on.

[Bill]

Bloomin women what are you both like.

 

In answer to your question Dizz, no I don’t have anything to say in reply mainly because I didn’t see any question. What they said was all perfectly understandable, at least it was for me, so we’ll just have to wait now and see what happens.

 

And to Cleo always good to go with your feelings but in this instance, feelings may be playing tricks on you. Look in their profile then click posts and you’ll see their postings going back a few years so I’m pretty sure its all genuine.

 

Bill

[WBCouncil]

Good to see our earlier post has kept the debate going... And thanks Dizzy for the feedback and ideas. In response to some of your points, we'd offer the following comments:

 

I'm pleased you've experienced good customer service when calling Contact Warrington. We do appreciate that sometimes people know the team or officer they need to speak to and would find it easier to be put through directly. But more often, members of the public have different requests (or different parts of a request which don't fit neatly under one team) which can be most easily dealt with by a single point of contact in the centre. We're always reviewing our contact centre operations to find more ways to make it easier for people to access services and I'd be happy to pass on any specific feedback, examples or ideas to the team involved.

 

I completely agree that it would be a lot better if we told you when action had been taken, or when it was scheduled to happen so that you could track progress. It's one of the features of our new website and apps that we're keen to introduce, so that you could, for example, use your phone to take a picture of a pothole, graffiti or faulty streetlight, send it through by text or email, receive a reference number of your message and then track online where the matter is up to. But for those without the technology, we also want to introduce something similar over the phone and in person at Contact Warrington so I'll pass on your comments to reinforce what a benefit this would be.

 

We'd be happy to chip in on discussions like the 20mph debate, as we did with the bad weather updates last year and the questions about the eco-van for couriers, but I think it's fair to say that we won't always have the answers that you want to hear - or that it might take us a bit of time to get you a full response from the relevant service. By then, the forum might well have moved onto the next topic, but we can only try to keep up!

 

Really like the idea of using the forum to publicise things like events and consultations - we know that lots of people would much rather get their info from a trusted news site than visit the council's own website. While Gary does a great job of publicising the info we send him, we'd be happy to flag up things that we think might interest the regular forum users. A quick look at the consultations currently 'live' on our website (purple box on right hand side of homepage) shows that we have one ongoing now, for non-residential adult social care charges, if you're interested?

 

And finally...for when Cleo's sixth sense kicks in, if we posted in our own name(s), then you could be waiting for that one person to come back with a response whereas if a few of us undertake to post as WBCouncil, we can answer more quickly and get you answers more quickly. Plus we don't run the risk of being singled out if you don't like the response!!

[Dizzy]

Just for you Bill

 

. .....we would like to hear from you about how we can better interact with users of this forum.

 

......If there's more that you think we should be doing and don't mind us dipping into debates from time to time where we think we can help out with an answer to your queries, then we'd be glad to hear from you.

[Dizzy]

Thanks for the reply by the way WBCouncil 'people' and for taking my rambling suggestions seriously

 

Seems 'you' are clearly one step ahead on some of them already though and it's good to get an little insight into what the council are proposing or working on for a change.

 

PS If any topics have gone quiet that 'you' spot and would have posted on... just post your replies anyway as older topics are often revived by someone eventually.

 

Same goes for topics that go off track a little, if there is something any of you want to add feel free to bring them back on track as that eventually happens too (well mostly, errr sometimes, ok so not always)

 

I quite like your idea of having a 'group' poster by the way and that could be interesting especially if you all forget where you are upto and double post

[Peter T]

A good starter for ten, would be to explain why the Cantilever Bridge is going to be worked on again for 8 weeks, and will the traffic be affected again?

[Dizzy]

...can I quickly just say that if this is this 'interaction' is going to work properly in future maybe it's not a good idea for everyone to start asking questions under this one existing 'particular' topic.

 

Maybe start a new topic regarding your issues/questions and as/when/if WBCouncil bods have time or an answer they can then post their replies against the relevant topic. In the mean time others can still contribute as we do now. It will get confusing othewise and also other forum members or people who pop in to read will not be aware of things or topics that have been, or are suddenly being, discussed within one more general topic.

 

You could title your topic as normal Peter in the relevant section then underneath in the sub title post the words 'For the hopeful attention of forum member WBCouncil' so they notice it (or you could even pop a quick link in this bit for now to your new topic so they spot it). Like they have said though they wont be able to answer everything on here or comment as often as we would probably like them too and things may take some time. It takes me all my time to try and keep up sometimes and I'm on here all the time

 

So back to questions and chat for now (including yours Peter if you chose to leave it here) as it could be a 5 minute wonder I suppose although I hope not

[Geoffrey Settle]

Gosh what a good thread, I'd forgotten to switch on the watch option and had only popped in to see how it was going.

 

Great to see a response from WBC Council and along with all the ways to contact WBC.

 

Can I add that members of the public can I attend committee meetings as observers. We always get a crowd in for planning committees especially the controversial ones and last night someone turned up for the Neighbourhood and Communities Scrutiny Meeting where there were a number of interesting officer reports. Minutes of this meetings will be posted soon.

 

In response to DIZZY you can call me what you like but I will only post as Geoff.

 

The simple reason is because when I was a Parish Councillor I was taken to the English Standards Board on three counts. One of these was for a post I made on here. They cleared me of all 3 accusations and said that I had NOT brought the Parish council into disrepute. I had been posting under my own name and could say within reason what I wanted to.

 

So if you don't mind Geoff is fine and safer but not totally safe.

 

As a final thought on information. In one of my previous jobs I worked in Knowledge Management (no wise cracks please). The central theme was information in once place - NO DUPLICATION.

 

Now given that WBC are keeping an eye on discussions maybe all that is required on occasions is for them to post a link to the relevant information source. For example when a report is produced from the current 20mph workshops they can simply send a link to Gary for inclusion on the main page (which they often do now anyway) or they can join a thread, as they have on this occasion, and post. Just an idea, all things take time and effort.

[Bill]

Only you could find these dream jobs Geoff and with a title like that it certainly sounds like one that someone just dreamt up.

 

Back on the original subject (I think) because despite the above, it wasn’t exactly crystal clear what this whole thread was about, possibly a councillor using a forum as an on line surgery and did we think this was a good idea.

 

Well if this were the back of beyond where people were spread far and wide then it would make perfect sense. It’d be making a good use of the technology, bringing people together who otherwise may have found it difficult or impossible to attend a conventional meeting. But Geoff if this were to be applied to your little patch it wouldn’t work would it. How many individual online surgeries do you think we’d need to cover Warrington if each local councillor followed this route?

 

The only way I can see this working Geoff is to take a lesson from your previous strange job and have information in one place with NO DUPLICATION. Now unfortunately this means telling you to leave it to the council to respond (in short to shut up ) or decide to sit with us plebes asking questions. And Geoff when I say questions, I mean real questions that normal people would ask.

 

I think this is all dooable. Maybe Gary could be persuaded to create a new area called “Ask the Council” with a set of forum T&C’s slightly modified to prevent deliberate political council bashing.

 

Anyway, enough from me, I’ve places to go and people to see but some good food for thought.

 

 

Bill