What the LGR U-turn tells us about communicating when circumstances change
Hindsight is oft quoted as being a wonderful thing – but the Government’s decision to withdraw its current Local Government Reorganisation decisions for Essex, Hampshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, while putting a wider programme under review, has once again demonstrated how quickly the communications environment can change.
For councils and other organisations involved in major programmes of change, there is an important lesson here: being able to communicate effectively when circumstances change is just as important as communicating when everything is going according to plan.
When the story changes
Local Government Reorganisation has been an unusually complex communications challenge.
The proposals involved changes to the structure of local government, potentially replacing existing two-tier arrangements with fewer unitary authorities. They required councils, councillors, officers, residents and other stakeholders to understand complicated proposals and their potential consequences.
Now the position has changed.
The Government has withdrawn the decisions affecting Essex, Hampshire, Norfolk and Suffolk following updated legal advice and has launched a rapid review of the wider LGR programme. Other areas have also been paused while the review takes place.
That creates a very different communications environment from the one organisations were preparing for only days ago.
Why media preparedness matters
When a major announcement changes unexpectedly, journalists don’t wait for organisations to produce a perfectly polished response.
They want to know:
Those questions can be difficult enough when you have time to prepare. They become considerably harder when you are contacted by a journalist with only a few hours, or sometimes minutes, to respond.
That is why effective media preparation should not simply consist of learning a few standard interview techniques.
It should involve thinking through the difficult questions before they are asked.
Turning complexity into clarity
One of the biggest challenges in local government communications is explaining complicated issues without using complicated language.
LGR is a good example.
There are legal, financial, administrative and political dimensions to the process. But a resident or journalist may simply want to know:
“What does this actually mean for me?”
Good media communication starts with that question.
The ability to explain a complicated issue in a concise, understandable way is valuable not only when speaking to broadcasters. It also improves press releases, websites, social media, public meetings and communications with stakeholders.
Don’t just prepare for the good questions
Media training is sometimes approached as an exercise in preparing positive messages.
That is only part of the job.
The more useful preparation is often to identify the questions you would rather not be asked.
For example:
“Was this whole process a waste of public money?”
“Why should residents have confidence in the process now?”
“What lessons should be learned?”
“What happens if the proposals return in a different form?”
“Why didn’t anyone identify these problems earlier?”
These are not necessarily comfortable questions. But practising how to answer them calmly and directly can make a significant difference when facing a real interview.
From reactive to proactive communications
There is another lesson from the LGR story.
Good media relations should not be entirely reactive.
An organisation that understands its subject should be able to identify useful stories and offer journalists informed commentary — rather than waiting for the telephone to ring.
The current LGR review provides an example.
The immediate story is the Government’s decision. But there are also wider questions about local government reform, public accountability, the cost of organisational change, consultation, implementation timescales and how major structural changes should be communicated to residents.
Those wider issues provide opportunities for informed organisations and individuals to contribute constructively to the public debate.
Media confidence is a professional skill
Being interviewed by a journalist can be daunting, particularly when the subject is politically sensitive or technically complicated.
But media confidence is a skill that can be developed.
The most effective preparation combines:
Clear messages — knowing what you want people to remember.
Difficult-question practice — anticipating the questions that may be uncomfortable.
Concise answers — avoiding jargon and unnecessary detail.
Interview technique — answering the question rather than simply delivering a prepared statement.
Realistic practice — experiencing the pressure of a simulated interview.
Feedback — understanding what worked and what could be improved.
The current LGR situation is a useful reminder that circumstances can change very quickly.
Organisations cannot always control the news.
They can, however, control how well they are prepared to communicate when the news changes.
And that is why effective media training should not be regarded as something to be undertaken only when a crisis occurs.
It is an investment in being ready when the unexpected happens.
For more information please contact Media Friendly at enquiries@mediafriendly.org or phone 01628 474154.