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City of York Council |
Committee Minutes |
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Meeting |
Decision Session - Executive Leader, Policy, Strategy and Partnerships |
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Date |
23 April 2025 |
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Present |
Councillors Douglas |
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Officer in attendance |
Jonathan Byrne - Head of Communications and Engagement |
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20. Apologies for Absence (10:03)
There were no absences.
21. Declarations of Interest (10:03)
The Executive Leader was asked to declare at this point in the meeting any disclosable pecuniary interest or other registerable interest they might have in respect of business on the agenda if they had not already done so in advance on the Register of Interests. The Executive Leader had none to declared.
22. Minutes (10:04)
Resolved: That the minutes of the Executive Leader, Policy, Strategy and Partnerships meeting held on 19 March 2025 be approved and then signed by the Executive Leader as a correct record.
23. Public Participation (10:04)
It was reported that there had been one registration to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.
Flick Williams stated that the Council should continue using Twitter. She stated that there are pros and cons to all social media platforms and that the Council should support free speech where legal limits were not breached. Finally she highlighted that the Twitter platform was more accessible than many other social media platforms.
24. Plan for CYC to cease sharing information on X, formerly known as Twitter (10:08)
The Head of Communications and Engagement introduced the report. He noted that X’s reach and credibility had declined in recent years. He noted that it had also removed fact checking facilities on its site. He confirmed that only 8% of residents sough to get their communications from the Council via X. He confirmed that the Council had spoken to a number of other organisations regionally and other local authorities about how they had moved away from using X and that the Council would keep open its X account for use by Silver Command in the case of needing to put out emergency communications.
The Executive Leader welcomed the report highlighting how the platform and changed and no longer aligned with the Council Plans values. She noted the removal of fact checking and moderators from content on X, which had exacerbated the rise in hateful and misinformation content. She therefore welcomed the plans to encourage residents to engage with the Council though other channels, as well as, maintaining the X account in cases of emergency.
Resolved:
i. Approved the Council no longer sharing information on its corporate X (formerly known as Twitter) account @CityofYork, unless directed by Silver Command.
ii. Approved the plan (Annex A) to encourage residents to register for information or follow other council social media channels, whilst closing all council X accounts that do not respond to an incident.
Reason: The recommendation to end routine use of X follows an ongoing review of our communication methods to ensure they reflect our values of inclusion, trust, and respect. As the platform no longer aligns with these principles, this allows us to focus on clearer, more accessible routes for the public to engage with the Council, including our own channels, and other social networks. This recommendation does allow the Council the flexibility to utilise the X platform in emergency incidents and safeguards the Council against losing its verified status and identity.
Cllr Douglas, Chair
[The meeting started at 10.03 am and finished at 10.15 am].