Stirling Council to start posting on Facebook again - despite no updates in months

Daily Record

4 days ago

The council has not made any new posts on the channel - one of its main platforms for providing information - since March, but said it will resume posting there after work to "maximise its capabilities" is comnplete
Stirling Council says it will resume posting updates for residents via its Facebook page, despite making no new posts in more than two months.
The council hasn't posted any fresh content on the platform – one of its main platforms for providing information – since March 24 this year.
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Despite the lack of content issued to residents, the authority says that it will resume posting there after Facebook's parent company, Meta, 'works on' the page to 'maximise its capabilities'.
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A Stirling Council spokesperson this week told the Stirling Observer: 'Stirling Council's main Facebook page is currently being worked on by Meta, the parent company of Facebook, to ensure we can maximise its capabilities and while this is undertaken we won't be posting on the page.
'The main account is just one of many social media sites the council manages and information on services and events will continue to be posted and promoted across those and a range of other mechanisms.
'We hope to have the main Facebook page back up and running as soon as possible.'
The Stirling Council Facebook page has more than 30,000 followers.
The council has continued to post updates and information on X, formerly Twitter, regularly.
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Back in February this year, the council said it would 'keep under constant review' its use of X after some Scots councils quit the platform over the 'dissemination of harmful and extremist content'.
South Lanarkshire Council (SLC) revealed that it was to stop posting on the platform – except for emergency alerts – due to 'widespread public concerns that X now allows the promotion and dissemination of harmful and extremist content, including content that is unlawful, abusive or false'.
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It was agreed that SLC would continue to use the platform for the time being, but only for the sharing of alerts that provide information that local residents need to know immediately – such as school or road closures, extreme weather events or other issues that impact on council services.
The Stirling Observer asked Stirling Council whether it had any plans to follows suit and cease its use of the site. A council spokesperson at that time said: 'X, formerly known as Twitter, is one of a large number of mechanisms used to communicate information to ensure residents are informed about local services and we promote the council to a wide visitor and business audience.
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'These are incorporated into the communications mix as part of our commitment that communications from the council are clear, easy to access and understand, appropriate to the audience and that all communications mechanisms used are done so in a consistent way.
'There are no current plans to stop using X but all channels are kept under constant review for their effectiveness as mechanisms in reaching audiences across Stirling Council and wider areas and managed through the council's media policy to ensure their effectiveness.'
Stirling Council currently has almost 30,000 followers on X.
Earlier in February, Edinburgh City Council was urged to cease its use of X. Green councillor Chas Booth put forward a motion calling for use of the site to be discontinued.
A number of councils and organisations, including Renfrewshire Council, Devon County Council, North Somerset Council and others, took the decision to stop using X.
X lost millions of active users after controversial tycoon Elon Musk completed a $40billion takeover of the platform in October 2022.