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by Lib Dem team on 25 August, 2014
As every politician knows, you’re never going to please everyone; so an unhappy posting on the Gatley Facebook group mentioning my name wasn’t a great surprise. Sometimes people simply disagree with me, and sometimes I get things wrong.
On this occasion the complaint was about my lack of response. The resident was upset that he’d posted a query on the Facebook group, tagging me so it popped up in my notifications, and I’d not replied.
Fair enough, perhaps. Except his post was made on a Tuesday lunchtime in August – on a week when I happened to be on holiday abroad – and the complaint was that an hour had passed without response. Not a week or a day, but an hour.
And here’s a bit of a social media conundrum for those councillors using Facebook or Twitter to communicate with residents. These tools make fast communication a breeze – you’re notified that someone’s mentioned you and it’s a matter of a few seconds to reply. Two Facebook groups cover my ward, and they have over 3,000 members between them. They’re an excellent way to talk to residents, answering questions and helping with problems.
But what about when your reply takes longer? Just a few years ago people would write to their councillors by good old Royal Mail and no-one would blink an eye at a response taking days or weeks. Those days are gone – I doubt I receive more than ten letters a year from constituents. As people come to expect a speedy response from me (because that’s what they normally get) delays become more noticeable.
One strategy is to deliberately slow down your replies on email, Facebook and Twitter. Have a policy of never replying in less than a few hours, setting a realistic expectation of a response time. That way when you can’t reply sooner, people aren’t so surprised. It’s a pretty good approach, but not one that suits the way I work.
If you’re away for longer periods you can always include an out of office message on your email and phone. That works less well for Facebook and Twitter. As a councillor my address is published on the Council website, as well as my own, so advertising to thousands of people that I’m on holiday probably isn’t the cleverest home security idea.
When I holiday in the UK (as I normally do) I’ll check for messages a couple of times a day and get back to people. If I do it too much, my family – quite rightly – start complaining. This year I had a rare foreign holiday (exotic Belgium) but with wifi in the apartment I was able to follow the same approach. That meant the good people of Cheadle and Gatley mostly got a reply from me within 12 hours. It might not have satisfied my friend on Facebook, but other residents seemed happy enough.
To be honest, I don’t really like my solution. As one of three councillors in my ward (though the only one on Facebook or Twitter), it would be nice to be able to holiday for a week or two without the ever-present eye of the Internet on me and without coming back to a huge pile of comments complaining at my failure to respond to questions.
Perhaps others have better social media solutions.
14 Comments
Methinks you need to have words – with your fellow councillors for this ward – sounds like they are not pulling their weight – just claiming their expenses / ‘wages’ !
In which case you’d be mistaken, Robert – there’s a lot more to being a councillor than being on Facebook and Twitter!
Indeed – £20K per annum – of our taxes – for some !
Correct.
I don’t use Twitter or Facebook (and have zero intent of doing so) but this just seems to be a modern problem whether it’s those examples of “social media” or even just email. Folk expect that because they know you’ve been sent their communication that you must have received it. And are therefore at fault if you havnt responded. Similar issues exist with mobile phones – folk expect you to be always available (which is why I don’t generally carry one.
I suspect it’s a rpoblem without solution, Iain.
Some people will never be satisfied. You have responded to and solved any problem or complaint I have put to you. Also, I really appreciate your postings on this blog and twitter. We are really lucky to be kept up-to-date on what’s happening in the area – other councillors do not do half as much. And no, I am not Lib Dem member or even a supporter of the party.
I’ll declare an interest by saying I am a Lib Dem supporter but Claire’s right.
By co-incidence to her post, only yesterday there was a knock on the door. Lo and behold, it was Mark Hunter doing a survey of residents’ views on a range of issues. Also knocking on doors in the road I recognised Iain Roberts and Keith Holloway. Folk may not always agree with their politics but it’s hard to fault how they go about doing it.
I work with many Councillors across England and Wales and am always impressed at how much they do, at all hours of the day and night. Most people don’t seem to have the faintest idea of what is involved, or that it’s often on top of ‘proper’ employment, or that it’s nearly always thankless. There’s no doubt that social media has made life easier for them in some ways, but it’s also another pressure. I have no idea why anyone would want to do this work – but I am grateful to those who want to do it properly.
Clare – I agree with every word you have said, particularly regarding the pressure of social media. Iain has my sympathy.
I wouldn’t worry too much about one lone complaint Iain, everyone needs a break!
The political system in the uk is based on a 1950s model. The internet is changing politics and politicians are struggling to keep up. I think this modern problem you have identified is perhaps a sign of thing to come.
Glad to see some decent folk out there appreciating what Iain does in terms of speedy responses, the blog to update local residents, and so much more! I was shocked to hear of a complaint about the speed of his response. Agree with Clare and John. The libdem councillors do so much here for the residents, and genuinely care, and they are just as entitled to their free time with their families as the rest of us! I don’t often respond to communication immediately unless it is urgent, otherwise I wouldn’t have a life!
I agree with Clare. I too am not a Lib Dem supporter but I happily confess that Iain is providing a great service to Gatley. he has helped me personally with a couple of issues over this last year and I am forever grateful for that. I run a large company and use social media quite a lot and have been caught out by individuals wanting immediate response to communication. Its a hard one to get right. Back in January we had a weekend away in Amsterdam and I was hassled by a journalist via facebook over an issue. I was very frustrated as the journalist interpreted my lack of answer as not being interested.
I – like John Hartley – do not use nor intend to use Facebook or Twitter. Have we disenfranchised ourselves? It seems from Iain’s response that a major part of his time is used up by these contacts. I would rather he could concentrate more on positive action and – to me – a thought out letter to him would allow more rational responses and time for action. Maybe leaving the social media would be better!