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The States communications team are being given the authority to ‘approve’ information released to the public if it is deemed likely to cause reputational damage.
The major change to the way the Freedom of Information (FOI) Law works is one of 60 changes to the States’ PR and communications operation being ushered in under CEO Charlie Parker’s ‘Communications Transition Team’ spearheaded by former Labour adviser Stephen Hardwick.
Introduced in 2015 in a bid to increase government openness and accountability, FOI allows members of the public and media to gain access to any raw data held on record within States departments – even if it proves to be embarrassing.
The system has been responsible for bringing internal controversies into the open, including the former Senator Philip Ozouf’s States credit card purchases and two senior civil servants’ £13,000 spend on business class flights to South Africa, whilst also unearthing details of public interest, such as the 40 people to have gone missing from mental health facilities since 2015 and the fact that the States printed 21million pages in just six months, despite a £10million scheme to get the government digital.
But now Mr Hardwick’s team have suggested that communications staff should be able to intervene in that process.
Previously, departments and their Ministers were warned if a FOI response “likely to attract public interest” was due to be released, but that information would always be published without defence.
The new system, however, would give the communications team a “formal role” in directly approving FOIs that are “sensitive” or “reputation-critical” before they are shared with the public.
The suggestion came in a 47-page report entitled ‘Audit and Review of communications in the States of Jersey’.
It was written in November but only last week shared with the media by the States communications team, who have come under intense scrutiny for their escalating spends on new staff.
It is unclear which of the 60 “action points” have been implemented so far, but there is already a suggestion that the new FOI process may be in motion.
A controversial road safety audit was released to Express under the FOI law last week, but, in an unprecedented move, it was published alongside a detailed statement from the Parish of St. Helier attacking the information contained within the report, which had not been requested.
Over £400,000 has been spent so far on building a 34-person team tasked with reforming how the government communicates with the media, public and its own staff.
The audit goes some way to ‘justifying’ that cost, concluding that the previous communications team contained “considerable weaknesses” and lacked structure.
But spending on communications could be set to increase further. The report stated that the Director of Communications, Mr Hardwick, would “establish the level of budget needed” to finance a new team, training and equipment, which will then be paid out by the Treasury.
Savings could also be in order, however, after the ‘Transition Team’ concluded that the States had spent too much - £8million over the course of 2.5 years – on 38 external marketing agencies. They said that there had been “no check or control” on whether that spend had been necessary, and that some departments may have been guilty of “vanity advertising” commissioned to “demonstrate activity.”
The team also found that States employees too often learn news affecting them through Express and the JEP, rather than being informed internally. But staff aren’t being allowed to like, retweet, comment or respond to any of those articles via social media because they are expected to be “ambassadors for the States”, the audit revealed.
Inconsistent email footers that failed to “reinforce the brand of the States of Jersey” were also identified as a problem, while the team also took issue with staff being able to change their computer lock-screen messages. They resolved that all backgrounds should be signed off by Mr Hardwick or the Head of Internal Communications.
Lock-screen messages were one of the facets of the government’s ‘Vote Yes’ to Workforce Modernisation campaign. Some States workers likened the message’s omnipresence as being akin to ‘Big Brother’.
Pictured: Workforce Modernisation lock-screen messages.
The report also resolved that more regular face-to-face meetings between staff, Chief Officers and the CEO, would better serve internal communications and relations.
Many of the ‘Communications Transition Team’ have since been promoted to new roles since the audit:
Meanwhile, many other senior States communications staff have either now left the organisation or moved into different departments. Sources cited Mr Hardwick’s “tighter ship”, which included an email investigation into alleged leaks to the media, as being one of the reasons for their departure.
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