Transcript
Page 1: How social media is bridging the gap between local government and citizens in the UK

how social media is bridging the gap between #localgov and citizens

DIRECT MESSAGE

Page 2: How social media is bridging the gap between local government and citizens in the UK

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introduction state of the nation cashtags risk conclusion going global about bdo

FOREWORD

“I’m pleased to introduce the 2014 BDO Local Government Social Media Survey. This is the third year we have surveyed local authorities

in the UK on their attitude to social media, and how it is used to deliver services. This year’s results show that social media is being used to bring councils closer to the people they serve, both by pushing use of social media out to the teams that are delivering services, and replacing one-way channels of communication with a dialogue. We’re also delighted to partner with BDO New Zealand for this year’s survey. Our survey can now be used by councils to benchmark not only nationally, but also internationally. I hope you enjoy reading this year’s findings.”

“BDO New Zealand is delighted to be involved in what is an inaugural survey for us. The local government sector has many challenges, not

least that of communicating across significant geographical and sociological areas. Social media provides an easy and accessible method of managing the risks inherent in communication.

We are very pleased to have been able to partner with BDO UK on this project and strongly believe the data from both countries can be used to gain real insight into risk management on both sides of the globe.”

andy mahon, partner, bdo uk

tim Gacsal, associate, bdo new zealand

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the embedding of social mediaINTRODUCTION

2014 marks the third year of BDO’s Local Government Social Media Survey. Our survey sets the scene for how local authorities are currently using social media, analyses trends and provides a valuable benchmark for the sector.BDO’s 2012 survey “Updating Your Status” helped local authorities to get set up on social media, while the 2013 survey “Following the Trends” identified the key barriers that local authorities were facing to achieve social media success, such as measuring return on investment and managing risk.

This year’s survey sets out the extent to which social media has become embedded in the day to day workings of local government: local authorities have undergone a cultural shift in their attitudes and approach to social media.

Whilst a perception remains that it is difficult to measure Return on Investment (RoI) and manage risk, councils’ actions show they have overcome these barriers regardless.

The result is that social media uptake is the highest this survey has ever recorded and it is being used by a diverse range of officers as part of their core service offers.

Despite perceived barriers, councils are beginning to see tangible benefits from the investment which they have made over recent years.

The 2014 survey results show how social media has shrunk the space between the council and the citizen:• Local authorities have overcome the

perceived barrier of measuring return on investment by using social media to reduce time spent on other activities such as writing press releases or traditional approaches to public consultation. Not only can this help contribute to savings by reducing workloads but this signals a softer benefit - councils are moving closer to their customers by using the two-way dialogue of social media to communicate, rather than a one-way monologue of press releases and leaflets announcing new council policies.

• Councils appear to be overcoming the suspicion that social media is a risky activity and have extended its use out across their organisations. Control of social media has shifted away from the communications team and out to service delivery and customer services teams. This means the public have the opportunity to directly interact with the people responsible for delivering their services.

The cultural shift in councils’ attitudes to social media has therefore brought them closer to the people they serve and the result is a free flow of information between council and citizen that means services can be more responsive to users and improved through feedback. This year our report has also gone global for the first time by incorporating the views of local government officers in New Zealand. This provides a unique opportunity for both countries to benchmark themselves against their counterparts on both a national and international scale. A special section of this report highlights some key similarities and differences between the two countries’ approach and best practice from New Zealand is featured throughout this report. The report suggests that councils in New Zealand could make savings by borrowing practices used in the UK.

contentsintroduction

state of the nation

turning hashtags into cashtags

getting to grips with risk

conclusion

going global: sharing best practice between uk and new zealand

about bdo

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We hope you enjoy reading this year’s survey and as ever, let us know your thoughts @BDOLocalGov by using the hashtag #BDOSocialMediaSurvey

2014: uk local councils who use social media

100% use twitter 90% use facebook 83% use youtube 40% use yammer

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introduction state of the nation cashtags risk conclusion going global about bdo councilinfo

#localgov social media in 2014STATE OF THE NATION

The social media landscape has changed significantly since we first surveyed councils in 2012.This year’s results show how embedded social media has become in day-to-day working for councils:• Enthusiasm for social media in local

authorities continues to grow • Social media use within local authorities

is becoming more diverse and spreading across different teams away from the Communications team

• Ownership and responsibility for social media is increasingly being devolved to Officer level

• Councils are finding new and innovative ways to use social media.

Enthusiasm for social media in local authorities continues to grow. 67% of this year’s respondents stated that their organisation has a moderately to extremely high appetite for social media use in their everyday operations.

This enthusiasm suggests that increased use of social media is now a default option for many council departments, not a radical option.

Social media use within local authorities is becoming more diverse, spreading across different teams away from traditional communications. Whilst communication teams are still the biggest users of social media, other teams such as customer services, policy teams and council senior leadership are increasingly using social media.

The percentage of respondents whose service delivery teams use social media has risen from 53% in 2012 to 77% in 2014.

Teams in councils that are using social media are becoming closer to the people using public services, opening up a genuine dialogue between citizens and councils. Social media is now a mainstream part of how councils deliver services.

Service delivery teams

20122014

Customer services

team

Policy team

Senior Leadership / Corporate

Management Team

1. Comparable data unavailable for 2013

of this year’s respondents stated that their

organisation has a moderately to extremely high appetite for social media use in their everyday operations.

who in your organisation uses social media? 1

67%

0%

80%

60%

40%

20%

maidstone BorouGh council: enaBlinG quicker reactions from emerGency services in times of need

During floods which hit Kent in 2013/14, Maidstone Borough Council

used social media to identify areas of the Borough that were flooded, which had not yet been reported to the Council through other channels. This meant that the Council were able to get support to those areas quicker than they would have done otherwise.

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Flooded Kent, 2014

80% of councils have experienced either a moderate or sharp increase in appetite for social media over the last year

councilinfo

“I’ve seen one council use social media to crowdsource funding for Christmas lights”

survey respondent

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#localgov social media in 2014STATE OF THE NATION

where does social media ownership sit within your organisation?

Ownership and responsibility for social media within local authorities is spreading. In line with the wider range of departments within councils that are using social media, the ownership for social media is now spread more widely than ever across those departments. When the survey first launched in 2012, ownership was largely held by communications teams.

Whilst communication teams are still most likely to ‘own’ social media use within a council, their majority ownership has fallen from 79% to 63%. Customer services teams and service delivery teams are increasingly filling this role. This supports the view that social media is embedded across councils not the preserve of communication teams. As a result, the gap between the citizen as service user and the council as service deliverer has reduced over the last three years.

Councils are finding new and innovative ways to use social media. We believe that social media can catalyse innovation in service delivery. Rather than try to measure innovation, we asked councils in this year’s survey to provide examples of how they have used social media to improve services. Here we have included some best practice from this year’s survey.

This suggests that a cultural shift within councils has taken place. The examples here show that public safety, waste collection and adoption services have all used social media. It is now a default option to engage with the public, whatever service area an officer sits within.

Comparing this year’s data with the last two years suggests that enthusiasm for and investment in social media by local authorities is increasing. This continues a trend over the last two years of the survey. More importantly this enthusiasm has changed how councils use social media as evidenced by the next two chapters.

The body of social media best practice is likely to continue to grow. We are always keen to hear new examples of how councils are using social media creatively to improve services for users. Please do get in touch with us @BDOLocalGov to share your best practice.

ipswich BorouGh council: improved understandinG of community needs

Ipswich Borough Council created a smart inbox to manage customer service contacts received by the

Council through social media.

For example, when the Council receives a complaint about waste collection from a particular area of town the Council is able to respond more quickly about any disruption in service.

calderdale council: promotinG campaiGns and improvinG lives in the community

Calderdale Council was looking to recruit more foster and adoptive

parents. The Council used its social media platforms to advertise that it was seeking suitable candidates. A recent evaluation carried out by the Council has suggested that social media played a major role in boosting its latest recruitment drive.

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“We’ve seen Flickr used creatively to share public health infographics.”

survey respondent

2012: 79%

2012: 3%

2012: 3% 2012: 15%

communications teams: -16%

service delivery teams: +7%

customer services teams: +7%

shared ownership : +2%

2014: 63%

2014: 10%

2014: 10% 2014: 17%

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getting return on investment from social mediaTURNING HASHTAGS INTO CASHTAGS

Our research on social media has consistently shown that one of the main challenges for councils is measuring return on investment. In a time of continued budget reductions, savings and demonstrating value for money is at the forefront of authorities’ minds more than ever before.

77% of this year’s survey respondents stated that they believe social media presents an opportunity to make savings if used correctly and this year we have seen emerging signs that on-going investment in social media is allowing local authorities to reduce certain activities thereby generating potential for savings.

our 2014 survey found that:A reoccurring issue from last year’s report is the difficulty authorities are having in showing tangible evidence of savings or income generated by social media, with 53% of respondents stating that they believe monetary savings have been made somewhere but struggle to show this on paper.

Yet Councils are making savings through social media by reducing time spent on other activities. This suggests how social media has altered the way that councils engage with customers. Evidence from this year’s survey suggests that councils are using social media to reduce their activity in a number of areas.

For example, over 60% of councils have reduced time spent on producing and distributing paper leaflets containing council information.

Percent of respondents answering yes to the Quesiton: do you believe social media represents an opportunity to make savings for local authorities?

2012

51

2013

76

2014

77

0%

80%

60%

40%

20%

auckland district health Board: makinG more efficient use of resources

In New Zealand, Auckland District Health Board have managed to reduce the time spent on certain

activities through using social media. One respondent to our survey said:

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“We have engaged with patients and/or public on concerns by extending apologies and making connections, which often result in satisfied individuals. On occasion we have come across potential issues via social media long before we might have heard of them via traditional channels - saving time and allowing teams to be more proactive.”

Sandwell MBC managed to significantly increase the number of online admissions requests for secondary schools to 99% of all admissions requests.

sandwell metropolitan BorouGh council: channel shift and social media

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e The Council attributes its use of social media to make parents aware of the online portal as a major factor in its success. Shifting users to sell-service online options can save councils money and service users time.

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which of the following activities has your organisation been able to reduce as a result of using social media?

getting return on investment from social mediaTURNING HASHTAGS INTO CASHTAGS

By using social media - a two way communications channel, councils are removing a barrier between themselves and service users.

Users can comment instantly and enter into a dialogue with the council about a consultation or a public event. This means service users can get the information they need when they need it, and the council can improve in real-time through feedback from service users.

Investing in social media has enabled councils to develop faster, more direct ways of communicating with customers, thereby reducing time and money spent on traditional engagement activities and improving the quality of service.

london BorouGh of redBridGe: usinG social media to enGaGe communities

The London Borough of Redbridge has used social media to release

content into the public domain more quickly, without the lengthy sign-off procedures required for press releases.

This has allowed the Council’s communication officers to spend more time building relationships with residents on alternative channels and has helped drive increased use of the Council’s website

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“Using SMS to remind Council tax payers has been beneficial”

survey respondent

Less time spent on these activities could potentially result in a financial saving. A full breakdown of activities where councils have reduced their activity is shown on the right.

This is evidence of the cultural shift that has taken place when it comes to how local authorities use social media. Social media is not a cost saving exercise in isolation from a council’s core service offer. Instead it is saving money as part of a council’s core service offer.

councilinfo

councilinfo

councilinfo

councilinfo

councilinfo

councilinfo

reduction in the need to publish press releases

reduction in the need to conduct public exhibitions

as part of a consultation

reduction in the need to telephone customers

reduction in the need to make face to face customer contact

reduction in the inefficient use of officer time

reduction in the need to produce paper leaflets or newsletters containing council info

17%

20%

40%

30%

30%

63%

approximately how much resource is currently devoted to social media across your organisation? - those who answered 3+ fte days per week

2012 2013

23

2014

27

0%

10%

30%

20%

8

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GETTING TO GRIPS WITH RISK

Managing risk remains a priority for local authorities. Previous surveys have demonstrated that social media has a reputation for being a particularly risky activity. This year’s survey suggests that whilst a perception of risk remains (43% of respondents believe social media poses a high or medium risk), councils are becoming more confident at using social media across their organisation and reducing the extent to which it is centrally controlled.

This suggests that councils have become more comfortable in using social media without realising, reflecting the cultural shift that has taken place over the last few years. This more relaxed approach to risk in reality is helping break down barriers between the council and its service users and can make services more responsive to what users want. Fear of risk is not preventing local authorities from achieving social media success:• Local authority blocks on social media are

reducing

• Councils are introducing training to help manage risks

• For the first time we are seeing social media being widely used at service delivery level

• The result of this is that who within a council that citizens communicate with has been radically transformed.

Blocks on social media use have fallen year-on-year. This has fallen year on year since our survey began in 2012. Only 20% of local authorities now place blocks on social media use compared to 53% in 2012.

More than ever, councils are enabling employees to use social media to communicate with the public and build digital relationships with their customers.

calderdale council, heBden BridGe

percentage of survey respondents whose local authority placed blocks on use of social media

2012 2013

30

2014

20

0%

10%

60%

40%

50%

20%

30%

calderdale council: manaGinG risk

Calderdale Council was keen to provide guidance and training to officers using social media so that it could communicate with the public

in a safe, helpful and risk-free way. The Council appointed a single point of contact for advice and guidance on use of social media and began providing training for officers and elected members on how to use social media.

auckland district health Board: manaGinG risk

In New Zealand, Auckland Auckland District Health Board created a response chart to help manage issues posed by social media. Social media users work closely with the Council’s Consumer Liaison Team to escalate moderate to high risk issues quickly to ensure they receive an appropriate response.

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council’s concerns about risk are beginning to fall

perceptioncouncils still think that usinG social media poses risks

reality suGGests councils are GettinG more

comfortaBle with usinG social media

councilinfo

53

reality

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GETTING TO GRIPS WITH RISK

For the first time we are seeing social media being widely used at service delivery level. A shift has taken place in local authorities’ willingness to devolve responsibilities to service level. Last year 54% of local authorities surveyed used social media at service delivery level.

This year’s results showed a significant increase to 76% of authorities using social media at a service delivery level. Less central control suggests that councils are becoming less concerned about managing risk. This is promising as it has resulted in greater devolution to service delivery teams which come into contact with service users.

This could mean social media will become used more than ever as a tool to improve service delivery and be responsive to the public.

The person within a council that citizens communicate with has now changed. Social media is no-longer an alien concept but a reality of everyday service delivery.

Whilst a perception of risk remains a cultural shift is reflected in the reality that social media is now impossible to ignore.

of councils think social media poses a ‘medium to high’ risk

of councils think social media poses a ‘medium to high’ risk

2012: 82%

2014: 43%

who in your organisation uses social media? - respondents who said “service delivery teams”

2012

53

2013

54

2014

76

0%

80%

60%

40%

20%

councilinfo

A perception of risk alone is not sufficient to stop councils embracing social media across all service areas. The outcome of this is that a genuine dialogue can now be opened up between those delivering services and those using them.

The result will be more responsive councils and improved public services.

council’s concerns about risk are beginning to fall

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CONCLUSION

This is the third year of BDO’s Local Government Social Media Survey. The 2014 survey suggests that the social media journey that councils in the UK have been on has taken a new direction.

Our 2012 survey highlighted the potential of social media and suggested there was enthusiasm but a lack of experience. Our 2013 survey revealed that enthusiasm had developed into action but barriers such as measuring return on investment and managing risk were causing concern.

This year’s survey suggests councils have, to an extent, overcome these barriers. Councils still think that these barriers are there but have carried on embedding social media across their organisations regardless. Councils may think that social media poses risks and is hard to write a business case for, but the reality is, as a core part of how a local authority delivers services, it is too important to ignore.

In particular, it is the way in which councils have overcome the barriers cited in the 2013 report which is most exciting. This has made the exchange of information between councils and citizens more fluid:• A less risk averse approach has spread

responsibility for social media to service delivery teams. These are the teams that actually deliver services to the public. Enabling real-time communication between these people and the public can make services more responsive to what the public want.

• Councils are securing savings by using social media in place of more expensive forms of communication. This has meant formal one-way communications platforms such as press releases have been replaced with dynamic social media conversations where service users can get their voice heard.

Who the public are communicating with and how they are doing so has changed.

This allows the distance between councils and citizens to shrink because a two-way dialogue has been created between citizens and their closest points of contact with a local authority; customer service teams and service delivery teams.

At BDO we are passionate about social media and its use in local government. As ever we would welcome your comments and thoughts on this year’s report. Please do get in touch via Twitter @BDOLocalGov.

Social media is bringing councils and citizens closer together

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GOING GLOBAL

similaritiesThe UK and New Zealand adopt a similar approach to social media in many ways and both countries have a similar commitment to using digital tools. For example: • The most popular social media tools in

both countries are Twitter, Facebook and YouTube

• Councils devote a similar amount of time to social media. In the UK 47% of Councils allocate 1 FTE day per week and 27% allocate 3 FTE days per week. In New Zealand the figures are 45% and 27%

• Councils in both countries find it hard to illustrate a return on investment from social media. In the UK 53% think there is a return but can’t measure it. In New Zealand this figure is 55%

Whilst we found the kind of differences you’d expect from countries so far apart, we were interested to discover some real similarities in the way councils use social media to engage with the public.

five differencesIt is the differences between the UK and New Zealand which are arguably more interesting. Overall councils in the UK have embedded social media more across their organisation and used it for a wider range of purposes.

Our survey suggests five main differences.• Whilst appetite for using social media is

increasing in councils in both countries, appetite for social media use is currently higher in the UK

• Councils in the UK are more inclined to view social media as an opportunity to save money

• More UK local authorities have used social media as an opportunity to reduce other activities

• Councils in the UK are using social media for a wider range of services than they are in New Zealand

• Councils in New Zealand perceive social media as being a lower risk activity compared to councils in the UK

sharing best practice between the uk and new zealand

This year we collected data from New Zealand and the UK to provide both national and international benchmarks

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GOING GLOBAL

Whilst appetite for using social media is increasing in councils in both countries, appetite for social media use is currently higher in the UK. Appetite for using social media is high in councils in both the UK and New Zealand. However survey data suggests that enthusiasm for social media is moderately higher in UK local councils.

For example, appetite is ‘extremely’ or ‘moderately’ high in 67% of UK councils compared to 46% of New Zealand councils. This may indicate that councils in New Zealand are at an earlier point than UK councils on a journey of using social media.

Enthusiasm in UK councils was at a similar point two years ago but has subsequently increased year-on-year.

Councils in the UK are more inclined to view social media as an opportunity to save money.

77% of local authorities in the UK view social media as an opportunity to save money compared to just 46% in New Zealand. This is perhaps indicative of the relative constraints placed on local government by central government in the two countries over the last five years.

The councils in the UK have faced greater reductions in central government funding than counterparts in New Zealand. This could explain why UK councils place more emphasis on the financial benefits of social media.

sharing best practice between the uk and new zealand

what is the appetite for social media in your authority?

do you believe that social media offers an opportunity to make savings for your council?

Extremely low

YesModerately low

Neither high or

low

No response

Moderately high

Extremely high

Don’t know

7% 8%

20%13%

60%

15%

15%

77%

46%

7%

23%17%

31%

31%

31%

0% 0%

100% 100%

60% 60%

80% 80%

40% 40%

20% 20%

New Zealand New ZealandUnited Kingdom United Kingdom

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GOING GLOBAL

More UK local authorities have used social media as an opportunity to reduce other activities. Linked to the UK’s greater emphasis on using social media to reduce costs, local authorities in the UK have also been more likely to reduce the amount of time the council spends on other activities.

Again this suggests that councils in the UK are more concerned about social media as a cost saving exercise than councils in New Zealand. However it also suggests that if councils in New Zealand are looking to make efficiencies, using social media could be one way to do so.

Councils in the UK are using social media for a wider range of services than they are in New Zealand. There is a considerable difference between the UK and New Zealand in the breadth of services that social media is used to support. Councils in the UK use social media for a much wider range of purposes.

Councils in both the UK and NZ found social media most useful for event promotion and weather warnings.

However authorities in the UK thought social media would be more useful for a wider range of services. This suggests there is significant potential for councils in New Zealand to pick up best practice from councils in the UK. This may lead to savings for New Zealand local authorities.

sharing best practice between the uk and new zealand

what activities has your council reduced as a result of increased use of social media?

for which services do you think social media would be most useful for your organisation?

Publishing press releases

Waste collection/disposal

Schools

Telephone customer contacts

Reporting anti-social behaviour

Libraries

Public exhibitions for consultations

Adult social care

Parks

Face-to-face customer contacts

Housing

Culture and events

Council leaflets

Streetscene (eg, reporting dog fouling or litter)

Sports and recreation

Inefficient use of officer time

Children’s social care

Public health

None

Youth services

Weather related issues (eg gritting, flood warnings)

Highways (eg reporting potholes)

17% 73%

37%

53%

63%

30%

33%

53%

90%

56%

47%

47%

67%

83%

70%

30%

40%

63%

23%

30%

20%

20%

23% 9%

9%

9%

9%

9%

54%

36%

27%

36%

18%

55%

27%

9%

31%

23%

46%

8%

0%

8%

0%

0%

60% 80%

100%

40%

50%

20%

New Zealand

New Zealand

United Kingdom

United Kingdom

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GOING GLOBAL

Councils in New Zealand perceive social media as being a lower risk activity compared to councils in the UK. As noted earlier in this report, whilst councils in the UK are less concerned about risk than they used to be, perception of risk remains an issue. By contrast councils in New Zealand believe using social media carries fewer risks.

Whereas 43% of UK local authorities think social media poses a risk to their council, only 27% do in New Zealand.

It would be interesting to explore further why perception of the risk posed by social media is so much lower in New Zealand than in the UK.

sharing best practice between the uk and new zealand

do you think your organisation’s approach to social media presents any risk to your authority?

United Kingdom New Zealand

No: 57%

No: 73%

Yes: 43% Yes: 27%

0%

100%

60%

80%

40%

20%

SummaryCouncils in the UK and New Zealand have a lot in common in terms of how they use social media. However the differences between the two countries present genuine opportunity for best practice sharing.

New Zealand has yet to fully explore how social media can be used at service level while Councils in the UK could learn from how New Zealand has managed to reduce perception of risk which surrounds social media.

auckland, new zealand

In particular our data suggests that councils in New Zealand might be able to make savings from using social media if they approach it in a similar way to councils in the UK.

Sharing best practice within countries is a valuable exercise to improve performance. Sharing best practice between countries adds additional value as it can encourage local authorities to look at how they are using social media in completely new ways.

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ABOUT BDO

BDO is a global full-service audit, tax and advisory firm. We have more than 48,000 people in 1,118 offices across over 135 countries. BDO is a network of international member firms, all offering comprehensive local knowledge and experience within an international context.

Bdo ukIn the UK BDO has over 3,500 employees in more than 20 offices across the UK.

Our local government consultancy team has worked with over 100 local authorities in recent years. It supports local authorities to deliver excellent, low cost services to their residents by focusing on improving local authorities relationships with their customer, providers and partners.

Bdo new zealandBDO New Zealand is a network of 11 independently owned accounting practices, with 15 offices from Kerikeri to Invercargill - the largest reach of any firm in New Zealand.

With over 80 partners and 800 staff working throughout BDO’s New Zealand network, our offering encompasses local knowledge, New Zealand industry expertise and an international network of skills to draw on.

contact usIf you have any questions, suggestions or ideas for us to consider please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

ukadam leederConsultant t: +44 (0)20 7893 3833 e: [email protected]

new zealand andrew slomanHead of Risk Advisory t: 09 366 8115 e: [email protected]

tim GacsalAssociate t: 09 366 8057 e: [email protected]

social media ukTwitter: @BDOLocalGov Blog: http://bdolocalgov.wordpress.com/

new zealandTwitter: @BDONewZealand Facebook: www.facebook.com/bdonewzealand

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This publication has been carefully prepared, but it has been written in general terms and should be seen as broad guidance only. The publication cannot be relied upon to cover specific situations and you should not act, or refrain from acting, upon the information contained therein without obtaining specific professional advice. Please contact BDO LLP to discuss these matters in the context of your particular circumstances. BDO LLP, its partners, employees and agents do not accept or assume any liability or duty of care for any loss arising from any action taken or not taken by anyone in reliance on the information in this publication or for any decision based on it.

Many thanks to all those who participated in the survey and contributed case studies.

BDO LLP, a UK limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales under number OC305127, is a member of BDO International Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, and forms part of the international BDO network of independent member firms. A list of members’ names is open to inspection at our registered office, 55 Baker Street, London W1U 7EU. BDO LLP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority to conduct investment business.

BDO is the brand name of the BDO network and for each of the BDO Member Firms.

BDO Northern Ireland, a partnership formed in and under the laws of Northern Ireland, is licensed to operate within the international BDO network of independent member firms.

© 2014 BDO LLP. All rights reserved.

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