Let’s celebrate local government together! Rossendale Council is taking part in #OurDay

From collecting waste to environmental health checks, and community grants to planning approval, the hundreds of vital local services delivered by councils will be brought to life in 140 characters when staff from Rossendale Council take part in a tweetathon on Tuesday 15 November.

We will be among thousands nationwide to tweet using the hashtag #OurDay, to give residents an insight into the hundreds of jobs councils do every day. During #OurDay last year over 8,000 twitter accounts participated, sending more than 10,000 tweets and reaching 3 million people.

#OurDay has been organised by the Local Government Association (LGA), which represents more than 370 councils in England and Wales. The LGA is encouraging as many councillors and local authority staff as possible to take a couple of minutes out of their day to tell the world what they’re up to as part of a 24-hour live tweetathon, from 00.01 on Tuesday, by using the hashtag #OurDay.

Katie Gee, Media and Engagement Officer at Rossendale Council said:

“#OurDay is a chance for residents to understand the vital work councils do in their communities and to look beyond the obvious like collecting bins and fixing potholes. Day in, day out, our staff provide residents with hundreds of services that are at the heart of helping our communities function – many of them things people may not even be aware of.”

Cllr William Nunn, Chairman of the LGA’s Improvement and Innovation Board, said:

“Councils work on behalf of their residents, providing a huge variety of services up and down the country, every day, to support people and make their lives better. This is a great chance for residents to go behind the scenes and hear the stories behind the services.

“Councils make a real difference in their communities, but much of what we do is out of sight, like helping vulnerable children and preventing homelessness. #OurDay is a chance to reflect 24 hours in the life of a council, from providing care for the most vulnerable in our local community to cleaning our streets.

“I hope as many local authorities, councillors and staff as possible get involved and highlight the good work that is going on in their communities. Councils are the most open and transparent part of the public sector and using social media is an easy and effective way for us to communicate with our residents and answer any questions they may have.”