The initiative had a low key start. Shortly after midnight, @tamesidecouncil posted on Twitter:
"Resident in Stalybridge complaining about loud music from neighbours. Says she can't sleep! Legal notice already served on occupiers."
The tweet marked the beginning of an experiment which the local councillors hope will give residents a better understanding of the services they pay for.
"It is important in these austere times that residents appreciate what we do, so they can better judge the value of services we offer. We know we have to save £100m over the next four years and we feel that by having an improved understanding of our services, residents will able to get more involved in the difficult decisions that lie ahead," explained Tameside Council Deputy Executive Leader Cllr John Taylor.
The council came up with the plan, which involves
60 members of staff, representing all frontline services, after seeing the success of the recent tweeting of 999 calls by Greater Manchester police which revealed the wide range of incidents bring dealt with as emergencies.
"We see this as a way of raising awareness of the breadth and variety of services we deliver - many of which are carried out behind the scenes, out of hours or in challenging circumstances. We hope it will dispel the myth that we only fix pot holes and empty bins" added Taylor.
That need to debunk some of the myths around local authority work was also a motivation for one of the first council's to embark on 24 hours of tweeting - Walsall Council.
Dan Slee, senior press and PR officer for Walsall Council said 'twitterthon' they had carried out in March had helped with communication both internally and externally.
"We got to communicate more about what the council does for people on a day-to-day and people got to hear about the routine things that the council does for them – it helps to shout about all the small things.
"Internally, throughout the organisation lots of people now know about social media that didn't get it beforehand – it was useful for people to see to see what's involved."
To follow the events, visit www.tameside.gov/twitter for the link or use your own twitter account to find @TamesideCouncil. There will also be a Twitter wall on the council website www.tameside.gov.uk
What do you think of the plan? Let us know via the comments below - or tweet me.
