A question has been raised over whether Reading Borough Council will leave X (formerly Twitter), as some other councils have done since Elon Musk's 2022 takeover sparked concerns about a rise in racism and "disinformation".
Devon County Council has stopped using X entirely, Southampton City Council has said it will no longer post there, Oxfordshire County Council is withdrawing and neighbouring Wokingham Borough Council has stepped back because of low engagement.
Reading is unlikely to follow suit. X is the council's biggest social platform with more than 26,000 followers, ahead of Facebook (18,972), LinkedIn (13,229) and Instagram (5,263). While 590 profiles have unfollowed the council this month, it will remain on the platform.
This was revealed in an answer to a question from councillor James Moore about the council's use of X and how well it reaches residents. Cllr Moore (Liberal Democrats, Tilehurst) said:
“A growing number of local authorities across the UK have withdrawn from X, with many citing declining public engagement and questions about whether maintaining a presence on the platform remains a good use of council time and resources.
“These decisions have often been made alongside broader concerns about the platform's direction since Elon Musk's acquisition, including the spread of misinformation and a rise in harmful content.
“If engagement is low or declining, or if the platform no longer meets the standards the Council would expect of its communications channels, does the Council have any plans to withdraw from X and redirect that resource to channels where residents are more actively engaged?”
A response by Ellie Emberson (Labour, Coley), lead councillor for corporate services, was read out by council leader Liz Terry in Cllr Emberson's absence. Cllr Terry (Labour, Coley) said:
“I very much appreciate the sentiment of your question and am mindful many councillors on our side have opted to make the move to Bluesky or close their X account owing to the general distaste for Elon Musk, the manosphere he has enabled and his general inability to ensure the platform is what it once was.
“Having said that, officers recommend remaining on X at this time.
“The team use a social media management tool that allows them to post content to all channels simultaneously, so there is no extra effort required when posting specifically to X.
“Whilst they have seen a decline in followers on X, the team will continue to keep this account open for the time being and continue to use it when appropriate, mainly for news updates and important announcements, like during an emergency situation, where we require a multi-channel approach to get information to as many people as possible.”
The answer was given at a full council meeting on 24 March.
James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter
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