‘Build back’ to Brexit: The GCS communications plan

This week, the Government Communication Service (GCS) launched its communications plan for 21/22, setting out UK Government Communications objectives and priorities for the year ahead.

This is the PR plan and stakeholder engagement strategic overview for the UK. It’s essential reading for any Govtech supplier looking to work with any department or entity on a customer basis.

Essentially, this plan sets out the blueprint for our possible avenues of engagement with government.

It provides Govtech PR teams with an insight into what the overall civil service communications narratives will be and the potential areas where their support may be needed. It also gives an insight into what the key talking points will be in both the media and by the Government, as well as setting out how the civil service can communicate with stakeholders, which is vital to building any relationship with public services.

As for what’s in the plan, it focuses heavily on Britain’s recovery from the economic and social damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The ‘Build Back Better’ drive that the Government has been pushing over the past few months looks set to continue, focussing on supporting the economic recovery, while the messaging has been diversified to include levelling-up communities (Build Back Fairer), national security (Build Back Safer), post-Brexit Britain (Build Back Stronger) and the environment (Build Back Greener). These all align with many of the policies the Government set out in the Spring Budget, so unsurprisingly the plan focuses on these areas.

COVID-19 and the NHS are also front and centre of the Government’s communications priorities, particularly when it comes to encouraging people to live healthier lives and promoting the different ways patients can access services. With the digital transformation of healthcare we’ve seen through the rise in virtual visits and online consultations, this is a clear sign that the Government is keen for patients not to revert back to the old ways of accessing care.

It will be interesting to see how the plan unfolds over the next year, especially as the nation tries to carefully navigate its way through this turbulent period where strategies and goals can change in a heartbeat. However, now we know what’s in store, now is the time for businesses to look at their own communication plans and see how they can align their messaging with the Government’s. The GCS has set out its goals and public sector partners need to be demonstrating how they can help them achieve these in the media, on their social channels and through their own content.