PRESS RELEASE
Chippenham Town Council's decision to leave social media platform slammed by Conservatives
"Communication with residents is vital for democracy," says candidate
For immediate release, Tuesday 22nd October
The decision by Chippenham Town Council to close down their accounts on social media platform X has been slammed by the Conservatives.
Patrick Cousins, the Conservative candidate for Chippenham Sheldon said: "Local democracy hinges on residents knowing what is being done in their name by the representatives voted for by them.
"As a young person, I think it is important that we take all steps to ensure that young people know what is going on in their town and can interact with those making the decisions.
"We know social media platforms dominate the top five most popular news sources among 16-24s with 31% using X to stay informed.
"I believe that communication is at the heart of a representative democracy and all channels should be used by councils to ensure that residents are aware of what is going on and how they can get involved."
The council said a lot of the site’s content does “not align with the Town Council’s values”, and will be removing its accounts on 1 November.
Mr Cousins added, "Whilst X has become more controversial, the fact still remains that it is a platform used by millions of people to find out what is happening in politics and business and it is easy to sidestep negativity by using it in a positive way."
Cllr Nic Puntis, who represents Chippenham Cepen Park & Derriads, added:
"As a Chippenham Town Councillor I disagree with this decision to remove the council's presence on X and call on them to rethink this decision. I will continue to use my online platforms to promote the activities of the council to ensure that local people can remain informed of what is going on."
"Anyone who wants to find out what is going on in our brilliant town can follow me at @NicPuntis"
Ends
