Council social media house rules
We have various council social media accounts, where you can contact us or follow us for regular updates. The full list is available on our website.
We want our social media pages to be safe, welcoming and useful for everyone.
You are welcome to share your views and take part in discussion. You do not have to agree with others, but please be respectful.
We may remove comments or take necessary action on individuals that do not follow these rules. This may include blocking individual accounts and taking action in accordance with our policy for Managing unreasonable behaviour policy.
Be respectful
Please treat others with respect.
Do not post personal attacks, aggressive comments or hateful messages. If your comment is offensive, we will remove it. This includes abuse, harassment, racist or homophobic comments, and other discriminatory language.
Please be respectful to council staff, councillors, contractors and partner organisations. The people who manage our social media pages are real people doing their jobs. Abuse towards them will not be tolerated and further action will be considered.
Do not break the law
Do not use our social media pages to encourage illegal behaviour or to make comments that could harm an individual, group or organisation’s reputation. Do not post anything that could affect an ongoing court case, as this could be against the law.
If you have concerns about an individual or a business, contact our customer services team.
Keep comments civil and relevant
Do not post content that is unlawful, abusive, threatening, defamatory, obscene or offensive. Please do not swear or use language that others may find offensive. Be considerate and respectful with your comments.
Do not post content that promotes hatred or discrimination against people regarding disability, religion, race, sex, gender identity, age, sexuality, pregnancy or maternity, marriage or civil partnership, care experience, or income.
Please keep comments relevant to the post you are replying to. If you have an ongoing or complex complaint, issue or enquiry, we may ask you to contact us directly so we can help properly.
Do not keeping posting the same repeat message. If you have an issue you need to raise with us, you can contact us.
Do not share false or misleading information
Please do not post information that you know is false or misleading, or that could cause unnecessary worry or confusion.
If we believe a comment contains incorrect information, we may remove it or provide correct information.
Personal information and impersonation
Do not share your own or anyone else’s personal information, such as phone numbers, email addresses or home addresses.
Do not pretend to be someone else or post on behalf of another person.
Copyright
Only post content that you own or have permission to share. Do not copy content from other websites or sources without permission.
Links to other websites
Only share links that are relevant to the discussion.
We may remove links to websites that contain inappropriate content or are not relevant to other users. This could also lead to you being blocked from our pages.
Advertising and commercial content
We do not allow advertising on our social media pages.
Do not promote products or services for personal or business gain. We will remove this content. Community groups, volunteers and not‑for‑profit organisations may share information about their services where relevant. Newark and Sherwood District Council will make the final decision on what information is allowed.
During elections
Before and during local or national elections, the Council must stay politically neutral.
Please do not post party political messages or promotions on our social media pages during this time. We will remove these comments.
Emergencies and urgent issues
Our social media pages are not monitored all the time.
Please do not use them to report emergencies. If there is an immediate risk to life or safety, contact the emergency services.
How we will use your information
If you break any of these rules, relevant information may be shared with partners. See our Communications and Marketing privacy notice for more information.