Cotswold District Council
The Brief
To develop and deliver a strategic communications plan that strengthened internal engagement and aligned with Cotswold District Council’s organisational goals.
The Challenge:
Navigating a period of significant change, Cotswold District Council sought flexible and expert communications support. Their specific challenges included:
- A vacant Head of Comms position meant a lack of strategic direction and oversight for the communications function, impacting both external messaging and internal alignment.
- The existing communications team lacked a defined structure, clear job descriptions, and a strategic roadmap for growth, hindering its effectiveness and professional development.
- Their intranet system needed rebranding, was underutilised and lacked modern features. This impacted employee understanding of strategic priorities and a cohesive internal culture.
The Council needed a partner who could not only fill an immediate leadership gap but also conduct a thorough review, implement structural changes, and drive significant improvements in internal communications.
The Solution:
The Conteur team delivered a comprehensive approach, demonstrating diverse in-house skills and experience.
1. Interim Head of Communications & Leadership:
Our PR Account Director served as the Interim Head of Communications, offering immediate, senior-level strategic direction and operational support. This role highlighted our ability to approach the support we provide to clients with flexibility and expertise.
We seamlessly took on the line management of two communications officers, showcasing our ability to integrate into an existing team, mentor staff and empower their development. Beyond strategic guidance, we managed all day-to-day communications activities, ensuring consistent external messaging and proactive reputation management for the Council, while also providing critical advice to senior leadership on all communications matters.
2. Strategic Communications Team Restructuring & Recruitment:
We conducted a comprehensive audit of the existing communications function, identifying strengths, weaknesses and future needs. With this information we were able to develop a communications team structure designed to meet the Council’s evolving objectives, enhance efficiency and enable innovation.
Our detailed job descriptions focussed on values, as well as experience, clearly outlining responsibilities and required skills. This demonstrated our understanding of effective team roles and recruitment needs. We also provided recruitment support and guidance, as well as marketing for the roles, leveraging our industry knowledge to help the Council attract and onboard the right talent for the newly defined roles.
3. Intranet Rebranding & Internal Engagement Enhancement:
Conteur led on the rebranding of the Council’s intranet system, giving it a fresh, modern, and intuitive look and feel that aligned with the Council’s brand identity. This showcased our branding, and digital project management skills.
Included in the improvements to improve internal engagement were:
- Developing engaging features for internal news, announcements and employee resources.
- Introducing new features or sections to improve collaboration and information sharing
- Advised on best practices for driving engagement and continuous usage of the improved intranet, ensuring it became a central hub for internal comms.
The Results
Conteur’s engagement with Cotswold District Council delivered tangible benefits, setting them up for long-term communications success. We maintained communications continuity during a challenging transition period, preventing a leadership void.
We provided the Council with a clear, actionable roadmap for their communications team, and supported the recruitment of a number of roles within that team.
A revitalised intranet system significantly improved internal communication flow, fostering greater employee engagement, understanding, and a more connected workplace culture.
