Our team has years of experience working in Whitehall and with local government and councils on communications projects which range from in-Department support for major strategic roads schemes and public-facing campaigns, to successful local authority Towns Fund bids, large-scale statutory planning consultations, and strategic support for the launch of one of the most ambitious regional partnerships the UK has ever seen.
Our vast experience of central and local government communications is informed by an intimate understanding of its political sensitivities, statutory obligations and resource constraints.
We provide professional support and public affairs expertise, understanding the complex relationships at play, working alongside officials, Ministers, MPs, elected Mayors and councillors.
We are used to providing counsel at CEO-level, facilitating stakeholder engagement, and our senior experience of daily journalism means we also understand how to anticipate challenge and tell complex stories in everyday language that establishes community relevance and sense of place.
Our Central and Local Government Projects
Mansfield Place Strategy: Build, Grow, Create, Enjoy
An extensive project to develop a Place Strategy to map out how Mansfield could begin to develop a compelling place brand to support its ambition that substantial government-funded investment.
Working closely with Mansfield District Council and the Mansfield Place Board, a private-public partnership, we carried out intensive research with public and stakeholders to identify the economic, social and cultural assets that could form the foundations of a campaign that will help redefine Mansfield’s story, turn ambition into tangible action, and inspire its next generation.
Launched to an audience of more than 100 local, regional and national stakeholders, our inspirational new narrative ‘Build, Grow, Create, Enjoy’ combines the district’s strengths and opportunities, brought to life via a series of real-life case studies that show in recognisable voices how the district has progressed, and measurable actions to ensure the Place Board can demonstrate progress.
Stapleford Towns Fund: A better brighter Stapleford
Strong visual content for social and mainstream media and clear storytelling helped raise the profile of the Stapleford Towns Deal multimillion pound bid amongst Whitehall decision makers and the local community. It made the campaign sharable and impactful, challenging perceptions with a new visualisation of the town’s regeneration aspirations.
Our work has continued with the Town Board on the operational delivery of the communications plan, ensuring that communities are engaged and informed every step of the way, through social media, events, public consultations, printed materials, video and case studies.
This work has been recognised with two Chartered Institute of PR Gold Awards in 2022 and 2023.
East Midlands Councils
East Midlands Councils engaged BakerBaird to plan and deliver communications campaigns in support of two priority projects for Transport for the East Midlands – the electrification of the Midland Mainline, and investments in safety & route reliability improvements in the A1 throughout the region.
Using our seasoned experience in media campaigns and our extensive regional contacts, we developed and delivered a launch event for the report into the Midland Mainline, involving East Midlands Railways and the East Midlands Chamber of Commerce and generating broadcast media, regional media and national rail media coverage.
To demonstrate region-wide support for TfEM’s A1 campaign, we secured the involvement of the A1 Group of MPs, all local authorities along the route, and the national Freight Transport Association, resulting in substantial regional media coverage.
Whitehall
Our team know national Government because we worked within it for 16 years, for all Government departments and agencies, including working inside No10. Our campaigns included Think! Kill Your Speed and Change4Life as well as many others over the years.
As an agency our insights have been valuable for those delivering services on the ground. We have championed a new urban development corporation, working with the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government and the Department for Transport; we have worked on scale-up and start up business with BEIS and we have worked with the Department of International Trade to promote UK exporting.
On behalf of clients, we have facilitated round tables with regional elected mayors, supported Parliamentary presentations, written speeches and submissions delivered and presented to All Party Parliamentary Groups, and provided briefings for MPs.
