In each of the last three years, BDO’s Local Government Social Media Survey has explored social media within local government to understand how councils are using social media as a tool to improve services. See the PDF of the report here http://www.bdo.co.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/978949/BDO-Social-Media-Report-2014.pdf It is being posted here for easy access to the data

1. how social media is
bridging the gap between
#localgov and citizens
DIRECT
MESSAGE

2. direct message 2
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

3. direct message 01
introduction state of the nation cashtags risk conclusion going global about bdo
the embedding of social media
INTRODUCTION
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.
contents
introduction
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
01
02
04
06
08
09
10
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

4. direct message 02
introduction state of the nation cashtags risk conclusion going global about bdo council
info
#localgov social media in 2014
STATE 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
2012
2014
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.
bestpractice
Flooded Kent, 2014
80% of councils have
experienced either a
moderate or sharp increase
in appetite for social media
over the last year
“I’ve seen one council use social media to
crowdsource funding for Christmas lights”
Survey Respondent

5. direct message 03
introduction state of the nation cashtags risk conclusion going global about bdo
#localgov social media in 2014
STATE 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.
bestpractice
bestpractice
“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%

6. direct message 04
introduction state of the nation cashtags risk conclusion going global about bdo
getting return on investment from social media
TURNING 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 answeringyes to
the Quesiton: doyou 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:
bestpractice
“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
bestpractice
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.

7. direct message 05
introduction state of the nation cashtags risk conclusion going global about bdo
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 media
TURNING 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
bestpractice
“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.
council
info
council
info
council
info
council
info
council
info
council
info
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

8. direct message 06
introduction state of the nation cashtags risk conclusion going global about bdo
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.
bestpractice
bestpractice
council’s concerns about risk are beginning to fall
perception
councils still
think that
using
social media
poses risks
reality suggests
councils are
getting more
comfortable with
using social media
council
info
53
reality

9. direct message 07
introduction state of the nation cashtags risk conclusion going global about bdo
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
deliveryteams”
2012
53
2013
54
2014
76
0%
80%
60%
40%
20%
council
info
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

10. direct message 08
introduction state of the nation cashtags risk conclusion going global about bdo
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

11. direct message 09
introduction state of the nation cashtags risk conclusion going global about bdo
GOING GLOBAL
similarities
The 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 differences
It 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

12. direct message 10
introduction state of the nation cashtags risk conclusion going global about bdo
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 Zealand
United Kingdom United Kingdom

13. direct message 11
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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

14. direct message 12
introduction state of the nation cashtags risk conclusion going global about bdo
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%
Summary
Councils 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.

15. direct message 13
introduction state of the nation cashtags risk conclusion going global about bdo
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 uk
In 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 zealand
BDO 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 us
If you have any questions, suggestions or ideas
for us to consider please don’t hesitate to get
in touch.
uk
Adam Leeder
Consultant
t: +44 (0)20 7893 3833
e: adam.leeder@bdo.co.uk
New Zealand
andrew sloman
Head of Risk Advisory
t: 09 366 8115
e: Andrew.sloman@bdo.co.nz
Tim Gacsal
Associate
t: 09 366 8057
e: tim.gacsal@bdo.co.nz
social media
uk
Twitter: @BDOLocalGov
Blog: http://bdolocalgov.wordpress.com/
New Zealand
Twitter: @BDONewZealand
Facebook:www.facebook.com/bdonewzealand

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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
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assume any liability or duty of care for
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the survey and contributed case studies.
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