Slides for a workshop I'm hosting for the TCPA. See http://www.tcpa.org.uk/events.php?action=event&id=121

1. Antony Carpen
Public Policy & Social Media
Tel: 07779 205270 Email: antonycarpen@gmail.com Web: http://antonycarpen.co.uk
Communities in control: how community
groups can engage in development decisions
and the local council through social media
Town and country planning association
New communities group seminar
24 February 2015

2. About Antony
• Social media and public policy trainer
• ‘Community cameraman’ and short film maker
• Political commentator
• Stood for election in Cambridge City Council 2014 local elections…
• …as my social media persona ‘Puffles the dragon fairy’
• …and beat UKIP 89 votes to 0. (They didn’t stand – dragon wins)
• Former civil servant in Department for Communities & Local Government
• Community engagement policy
• Sustainable housing & climate change
• Local government reform
• Planning casework
• Freedom of information

3. ‘Map your communities’ 1/3
Community engagement is a challenge if you don’t know your communities!
But where do you start?
Start by describing your community
- Make a list!
1. Local secondary school
2. Older people’s day centre
3. Friends of local library society
4. Religious institution
5. Nursery – users & families?
6. Hospital – patients & families?
7. …can you think of a few more?

4. ‘Map your communities’ 2/3
Community engagement is a challenge if you don’t know your communities!
But where do you start?
Start by describing your community
- Make a list!
1. Local secondary school
2. Older people’s day centre
3. Friends of local library society
4. Religious institution
5. Nursery – users & families?
6. Hospital – patients & families?
7. Local trade association
8. Wealthy private institution
Now plot them on a matrix
Influence
Interest
8
3
4
7
6 2
5
1

5. ‘Map your communities’ 3/3
Having mapped your communities, you can explore
different approaches based on their needs & talents
Now plot them on a matrix
Influence
Interest
8
3
4
7
6 2
5
1
How do you increase the
influence of a local community
group that might have the
time & passion to scrutinise
development? (Group 3 –
friends of local library).
How do you increase the
interest of a potentially
influential but disinterested
group? (Group 7 – a local trade
association).

6. What’s this got to do with social
media?

7. What’s this got to do with social
media?
The key word in the phrase ‘social
media’ is the word ‘social’. It implies a
conversation.
If you do not know who you are talking
to, no amount of technology is going to
compensate for this shortcoming.

8. What are we doing in Cambridge?
The context:
• Two-tier local government in Cambridge
• Three-tier (parish/town councils) outside
• City Deal structures – a separate board & assembly
• Huge demand for housing, limited supply
• High & rising house prices – tempting for speculators
• Booming economy underpinned by strong resilient
economic sectors in health, education & new technology
• Increasingly diverse population – highly educated, highly
mobile too.
Or put differently: Click here ->> https://vimeo.com/119495521

9. ‘Be the change you want to see’
…because someone else isn’t going to do it for you!
A personal route to ‘Be the change – Cambridge’
2010 Coalition takes office & imposes a program of
austerity & cuts
2011 I leave the civil service – with high niche social media
profile
2012 Start social media training business, scrutinising local
councils
2013 Focus more on local government, less on national
2014 Stand for election, launch ‘Be the change – Cambridge’
2015 Due to deliver big community action event in March

10. ‘What is ‘Be the change – Cambridge’?
Who? A project founded by myself, Anne Bailey of the
Cambridge Area Partnership, and tech entrepreneur Dr
David Cleevely CBE
What? A project creating safe open spaces for the people of
Cambridge to influence our city’s future & make it
greater than the sum of our parts
When? Next event: Sat 14 March
Where? Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge – one of our
headline sponsors.
How? Open space event plus guided workshops educating
people how our current systems function
Why? Because it’s our home. Because…[and it’ll be different
for each participant.]

11. “I’m still not seeing the social media!”
It’s not a case of simply being on Twitter or Facebook, but how you
use them. Cambridge’s communities use a diverse range of tools.
We have to reflect that:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/bethechangecambridge
86 ‘likes’
Twitter - @Bethechangecam
351 followers
Meetup group - http://www.meetup.com/Be-the-change-
Cambridge/
121 ‘change makers’
Website http://bethechangecambridge.org.uk/
(Plus links to my Youtube/Vimeo and Soundcloud accounts)

12. “How do you find time for all of that?”
With great difficulty!
No one person can do all of that alone and do it effectively. Yet
slowly but surely it’s making groups & institutions respond. Why?
Because we’re doing things, not just talking about it.
Things like…

13. Create & share inspiring
content
Here’s another video I made
https://vimeo.com/115895921
The soundtrack was made by the brilliant Grace Sarah ->
http://www.gracesarah.com/
She wrote the original track while in year 8. She’s now at sixth form
college in my neighbourhood.
What’s stopping you from inviting students in further education or
higher education from helping you create that content?

14. Educate, inform, update
Here’s a page I set up following news Cambridge might finally be
getting an ice rink…

15. Share events – not just your
own
…even if the link is not immediately direct. If you want to find out about your
communities, go to where they are, not where you’d like them to be.

16. …and finally…
Feedback mechanisms
Make sure that the comments and feedback you get
have links back to your decision-making processes.
- Can you persuade developers to engage with
communities at design stage? This can save costly
processes later on down the line.
- What opportunities do citizens have to learn about
how the planning system works? What are the
essentials? Manage their/our expectations.

17. Antony Carpen
Public Policy & Social Media
Tel: 07779 205270 Email: antonycarpen@gmail.com Web: http://antonycarpen.co.uk
Antony Carpen
Public Policy & Social Media
Tel: 07779 205270 Email: antonycarpen@gmail.com Web: http://antonycarpen.co.uk
Thank you
Find me on Twitter
@ACarpenDigital – for ‘work’ content
@Puffles2010 – My politics & policy newsfeed
@BethechangeCam – Making Cambridge greater
than the sum of our parts