Oh, the weather outside is frightful… and its the time to baton down the hatches.
If local government can get icy weather comms right they can keep people happy.
Here is a round-up of some content that worked well:
The myth-busting web page
There is a regular set of moans. You weren’t out. You didn’t grit. You didn’t grit enough. Having a web page like this is an excellent resource to have at your finger-tips. You can see it here.
The video from the cab of the gritter
It’s a video that is the perfect length to work on Twitter. Less than 20 seconds and shoots down the allegation that there were no gritters out. Great work.
Ever wondered what it’s like inside the cab of a gritter? The little monitor shows the driver the salt spreading at the back. Gritters out now in Wolverhampton #wmgrit pic.twitter.com/BtF3hbbwdg
— Wolves Council (@WolvesCouncil) December 10, 2017
The snowman post
This post from the Mayor of Walsall asks people to chip in with their snowmen pics. It prompted people to respond with images from across the borough.
The video of the gritters heading out
This is perfect. Gritters loaded up and heading for the exit at the gritting depot. Evidence that the work is taking place.
The shared hashtag and the conversational response
The #wmgrit hashtag works in the West Midlands as a 20 minute journey can cut through two or three council areas. So 10 councils have joined together to share the searchable hashtag.
A few people are asking if we can restock grit bins – we will get to these as soon as we can, but at the moment our priority is to treat main roads and keep these as clear as possible #wmgrit
— Telford Council (@TelfordWrekin) December 10, 2017
The news jacking of the big event
Ahead of the Merseyside derby Liverpool Council were telling people of the work that is going to take place to keep the game running smoothly. It fills a vacuum and was well shared.
With snow forecast ahead of the @LFC v @Everton derby, we’ll be treating pavements & roads around Anfield stadium and street scene staff will be out from early on Sunday clearing accumulations #DerbyDay #snow #grittertwitter pic.twitter.com/7Rhaxn6F5F
— Liverpool Council (@lpoolcouncil) December 9, 2017
Getting the message out early
With cold weather ahead this tweet to ask people to look after each other was well recieved.
With cold weather forecast for the weekend, remember to check in on vulnerable relatives or neighbours if you can #WinterReady #Nottingham #LookingAfterEachOther pic.twitter.com/H6XPoJbKMK
— My Nottingham (@MyNottingham) December 9, 2017
Thanks to Viki Harris, Andrew Napier, Liz Grieve, Kelly Thompson, Paul Johnston and Dawn McGuigan.