Annex A – Plan to cease using X, formerly known as Twitter

Overview

From 25/06/25, the City of York Council will cease using X (formerly Twitter) as a routine communications channel. This plan outlines the steps for managing the transition, mitigating risks, and promoting alternative channels.

Corporate X Account

• The @CityofYork account will remain open but will no longer be used for regular communications.
• A message in the bio and a pinned post will state that the account is only used in the event of an incident, and not monitored otherwise.
• The account will be retained to prevent impersonation, retain verification status, and enable use during emergencies at the direction of Silver Command.

Council Service X Accounts

• All other council-operated X accounts will be reviewed to assess:
• • Whether the account plays a role in incident communication.
  • Whether the account name could be misused by impersonators or scammers if released.
• From 25/06/25:
• • All X accounts not meeting the above criteria will be deactivated.
  • Accounts with potential incident or impersonation risk will be retained but not used.
• Officers responsible for these accounts will be contacted to confirm their status as part of internal communications.

Elected Member Accounts

Personal X accounts held by elected members remain out of scope for this plan and will continue to be used at their individual discretion.

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Transition Plan

1. Give Notice

• From 25/06/25, no further content will be posted from the @CityofYork account, unless authorised by Silver Command during an emergency. The account will also remain unmonitored, unless an emergency incident occurs.

2. Redirect Users

• All council communications will signpost followers (currently 49k+) to alternative channels, including:
• • The council’s resident e-newsletter
  • Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and the council website
• Signposting will be ongoing across all marketing and comms materials.

3. Incident Response Readiness

• The corporate emergency communications plan will be updated to:
• • Include X as an emergency-only channel.
  • Clarify the trigger process via Silver Command for activating the account.
  • Outline how X will be used alongside other rapid-response tools.

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Communications Plan

4. Public Announcement

• A press release will follow the Leader’s decision to confirm the council’s change of policy, rationale, and next steps.

5. Promotion of Alternatives

• A cross-channel campaign will run between the Executive Decision-Making Session date and 25/06/25, encouraging residents to:
• • Sign up to the e-newsletter.
  • Follow the council on other social platforms.
  • Update preferences through the council website.

6. Channel Review

• An ongoing channel review will identify the most effective ways to reach residents, businesses, and partners, with findings to be shared in future strategy updates.

7. Exploring New Channels

• The council will explore emerging platforms such as BlueSky and WhatsApp and assess their potential role in council communications.
• Consideration will be given to audience demographics, functionality, trust, and reach.

8. Internal Communications

• All relevant teams and service leads will be briefed on the change, including instructions for reviewing their X accounts and confirming future status.

9. Review and Evaluation

• The impact of this change will be regularly monitored as part of the council’s ongoing communications evaluation process to ensure continued reach and engagement.