Moving forward together

A civil society depends on citizens respecting one another and follow protocols that define how we interact with one another, the street and on the road. The closing session, chaired by Jade Neville, head of user experience at Conduent Transportation, explored how public authorities can become more responsive, ethical and transparent in how communicate with the public they serve and protect.

How to respond to misinformation

Many local authorities have faced concerted online trolling campaigns when implementing Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and other schemes. Stefan Rollnick, head of The Misinformation Cell at Lynn Global, discussed how public authorities can fight back in the modern world of misinformation. He explained that are three key pillars to attaining information integrity:

1. Scanning: What beliefs are circulating online and offline about your organisation and its work?

2. Identifying threats: What beliefs constitute a threat to your organisation and its work?

3. Building your strategy: What’s going to make your audiences more resilient to misinformed beliefs?

These three stages should be supplemented by ongoing monitoring, threat detection and escalation processes. Rollnick said ‘The Wall of Beliefs framework’ developed for the Cabinet Office provides one example of how to approach this approach.

Improving driver (mis)behaviour

Many errant drivers seem to regard incurring a parking notice as the price of parking where they are not supposed to. Will Hurley, chief executive, International Parking Community (IPC), set out how parking charge notices are no longer an effective deterrent. This is why local authorities and private parking operators alike are calling for the level of parking charges issued to vehicles breaching rules to be increased.

Identifying the persistent evaders

The National Persistent Evaders Database (NPED) is an innovative project that will help identify vehicles belonging to drivers who avoid paying parking fines, road tolls and clean air charges. Alan Wood, founder of the service, explained how NPED cross references persistent evaders with vehicles that have no tax or insurance. The initiative, which is supported by the Cabinet Office, is now working with police forces, local authorities and parking providers.

Sensitive enforcement

The civil enforcement sector has been working with debt charities and other stakeholders to raise awareness and devise protocols for recognising and engaging with vulnerable debtors.

Russell Hamblin-Boone, chief executive of CIVEA, the Civil Enforcement Association, explained how the new Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB) will work to ensure that all those who are subject to enforcement action in England and Wales are fairly treated.