FOI Request - Communications Costs

Request 101003907677

This request relates to your authority’s marketing, communications and engagement activity, including associated staffing, budgets, spend and functions. I am seeking this information to better understand how local authorities resource and deliver communications, engagement and consultation activity.

For the most recent full financial year for which data is available, please provide the following:

1. Organisational structure and staffing
a) The total number of employees (FTE) working wholly or primarily in marketing, communications, media, public relations, engagement, consultation or related functions.
b) The directorate, department or service area in which these staff sit.
c) A breakdown of roles or grades where available (e.g. senior leadership, managers, officers).

2. Budget and expenditure
a) The total annual budget allocated to marketing, communications and engagement activities.
b) The total actual spend for the year.
c) A breakdown of spend between:
• Staff costs (including salaries, on-costs and temporary staff or contractors) - broken down by post
• External suppliers or agencies
• Advertising and media spend
• Website development
• Graphic and digital design
• Print expenditure
• Events, consultation exercises and engagement programmes
• Any other significant categories of spend

3. Core activities
Please outline the core activities undertaken by the marketing, communications and engagement function(s), for example:
• Corporate communications and media relations
• Campaigns and public information
• Internal communications
• Digital and social media
• Web development
• Advertising/recruitment advertising/public notices
• Public consultation and engagement
• Community engagement
• Stakeholder or partner communications

4. Discretionary vs non-discretionary activity
Please indicate:
a) Which marketing, communications and engagement activities are considered essential or statutory (including any required by legislation or regulation).
b) Which activities are considered discretionary or non-essential.
c) Any distinction you make between internal, external and community-based engagement.

5. Consultation and engagement spend
Please confirm:
a) Total spend on consultation and engagement activities (internal and external).
b) How this spend is categorised or recorded within your authority (e.g. as part of communications, policy, regeneration, public health or other budgets).

Response 04-02-2026

1.a) 5 FTE in the corporate communications team.

b) HR, ICT and Organisational Development until September 2025; People, Change and Community Strategy thereafter.

c) Senior Communications Officer (Grade 10)
Communications and Media Officer (Grade 8)
Web Comms & Regeneration Communications and Engagement Officer (Grade 8)
Communications & Engagement Officer (Learning Estate) (Grade 8)
Graphic Designer (Grade 7/8)

2.a) £317,755

b) £313,256

c) We do not breakdown Advertising spend into the detail requested; please see below:

Staff costs (including salaries, on-costs and temporary staff or contractors): £182,879

External suppliers or agencies: 0

Advertising and media spend: £120,866  

Website development: 0

Graphic and digital design: 0 

Print expenditure: £156,571 

Events, consultation exercises and engagement programmes: £9,511

Any other significant categories of spend: 0

3. Core activities:

 • Crisis Comms management
• Strategic comms, policy and guidance development
• Corporate communications and media relations
• Campaigns and public information
• Internal communications
• Digital and social media
• Web development
• Advertising/recruitment advertising
• Public consultation and engagement promotion
• Content creation including filming and editing

4. a) Warning and informing during an emergency, as per Civil Contingencies Act 2004.
Sharing communications aligned to the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.
Ensuring the Communications Act 2003 is upheld.
Council business updates/committees.
Responding to media enquiries.
Promotion of council services.
Elections activity.
Promotional activity that furthers the council’s strategic priorities and aims.

b) Recruitment advertising.
Routine service updates (i.e. minor road closures or waste disruption).
Lord Lieutenant support.
Events and marketing support.

c) Engagement is largely led by services carrying out consultations themselves; the comms team promotes the activity but does not lead it.

5. a) Paid for by services carrying out the consultation and engagement

b) Dependent on individual services.