Hertford Town Council has decided that X, formerly known as Twitter, is no longer an appropriate social media platform for the Councils’ communications.
At a meeting of Full Council, Hertford Town Council agreed to stop posting new content on X. Prior to a period of notification, the Council pinned a post to the platform, alerting followers of the decision and noting its other social media channels, where followers can still view ongoing content at @hertfordtowncouncil.
While elected members of the Council are free to use social media as individuals, the Council has decided corporately to make this change. The move comes as part of the development of a Communications, Engagement and Marketing Strategy, which will see improvements to the way the Council spreads the word on its free community events, services and news, and engages meaningfully with its residents and potential visitors.
A Council Spokesperson commented: “The purpose of our social media, as a Council, is to engage with the residents of Hertford and its visitors in a positive, constructive way. We will continue to post regularly through our Facebook and Instagram accounts where all are welcome to follow us and see our content which we hope is both relevant and useful. We welcome thoughts about how we can better engage with the people of Hertford which anyone can share through social media or via comms@hertford.gov.uk”.
Going forward, these changes affect the Council run X accounts of: Hertford Town Council, Hertford Castle and the Hertford Mayor.
Notes:
Full Council was held on 20th January 2025. A 14-day period of notification followed this, prior to this announcement.
@hertfordtowncouncil on Facebook and Instagram, commands a following of over 11,500 in total.
An update on the Communications, Engagement and Marketing Strategy will feature in the Council’s Annual Report which will be presented at the Annual Town Meeting on 20th March 2025.