Town councillors urged to help increase counci's digital presence

A Newtown Town Council report says councillors need to provide more information about events and activities after figures showed a sharp decline in its social media audience over the summer.

A report going before Newtown Town Council's Resources Committee highlights how community-focused content attracts significantly more attention than routine council updates.

The report examines the council's Facebook performance between April and September 2026, alongside ongoing work on its websites, digital noticeboards and public communications.

Between April and June, the council's Facebook content reached 193,000 people, generated 428,300 views and attracted 28,000 engagements.

However, between July and September, its reach fell by 71% to 55,000, while views dropped by 69% to 131,600.

The number of new followers also declined from 181 to 55, although the council's Facebook page now has just over 4,000 followers.

According to the report, the difference was largely down to the type of content being published.

Between April and June, posts focused on community events, celebrations, awards and opportunities for public participation.

During the following three months, the emphasis shifted towards council activities, project updates and service information.

The report states: "Community and event-led content generated stronger audience interest and sharing, while informational updates attracted lower engagement."

It recommends that the council continues publishing information about its work but increases the proportion of community stories, local achievements and events to improve its reach.

Councillors are being asked to provide more information about activities taking place in the town.

The Development Officer says: "Please keep me updated of events, news, community stories, local achievements and let me know and I can come out and take photographs/write content."

The report also outlines a proposal to update the Newtown tourism website's homepage to make it more visitor-focused.

Suggested changes include larger photographs, clearer visitor information, more prominent promotion of events and additional content about walking, heritage and other local activities.

The council has examined examples of websites used to promote other towns and destinations, including Welshpool, Rhayader, Shrewsbury and Stratford-upon-Avon.

A design concept for the proposed changes is still to be produced.

Elsewhere, the report highlights ongoing work to update digital noticeboards around Newtown, including advertising Tidy Newtown workshops in collaboration with Glanhafren.

Further promotional material featuring the town's NEW Newtown branding is also planned.

A newsletter subscription service is expected to become available shortly, while a dedicated Tour de France webpage is being developed.

The council has also published 11 blog posts on its main website and two on its tourism website during the reporting period, alongside coordinating press releases.

The communications report is being presented to the Resources Committee for information.