CorpComms Magazine

A Lancashire Council has created a Facebook page to issue 24-hour weather warnings and guidance to constituents in response to the unprecedentedly heavy snowfall last winter. 

Blackburn and Darwen Council's own mini, multimedia Met Office, BwD Winter, will deliver local forecasts, along with news of gritting, school closures and bin collections. 

One of its first posts is the assurance that 'The Council has already placed its order for salt - 2,500 tonnes being delivered this month.' It has even secured a back-up supplier, in case its Cheshire stocks are overrun again. 

Peter Hunt, council director of regeneration and environment, said: 'It is too early to say that the weather will be like this year but we are ready. Due to the unprecedented weather last year, we needed to get information to residents about disruptions to services.   

'As well as the normal media channels, we used social media to get messages out. It is both free, fast and two way communication so the Facebook page is just expanding on the channels that we have at our disposal to communicate with the public.'

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