PR success for Standards Commission for Scotland hearing

A hearing into the conduct of a Lib Dem councillor enjoyed PR success thanks to a raft of coverage across key national and local media titles.

Cllr Tim Brett used his work computer to send an email requesting help from volunteers to hand out electioneering leaflets around his local constituency, which is in strict breach of the Councillor’s Code of Conduct.

A hearing held by the Standards Commission for Scotland (SCS) found that Cllr Brett had contravened the guidelines and he was censured for his actions.

The news of the hearing was shared far and wide as our campaign resulted in a release to highlight that the hearing was taking place, followed by another release to let the media know of the hearing’s outcome.

The story reached an impressive number of key media titles which resulted in an impressive 416,171 people finding out about it.

Some of the highlights included:

Large features in national newspapers such as The Herald and The National
Coverage in key local titles such as The Courier and Fife Herald
Online hits in the Evening Telegraph and Fife Today

By gaining a wide range of coverage, it ensures the role and work of the SCS is widely recognised and acknowledged by the wider public and that they know safeguards are in place to ensure those in public office are held to account for their actions.

The SCS promotes and enforces codes of conduct for councillors across Scotland, as well as individuals appointed to a wide range of national and regional public bodies, and many other organisation, including NHS Boards and further education colleges.