Lincolnshire authorities explain their stance on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter

County authorities will be reviewing their use of social media - as bodies elsewhere in the country abandon X, formerly known as Twitter.

Lincolnshire County Council has, however, stated it has "no immediate plans" to stop using the Elon Musk-owned social media platform but says it regularly monitors the way it communicates with taxpayers.

This follows Derbyshire Police's decision to reduce its presence on the platform after a review of its social media presence, basing this on the "quality and quantity of interactions" with its posts.

Lincolnshire Police is in the process of a similar review, but no decisions have yet been made.

A spokesperson stated: "We regularly undertake reviews of our use of all social media platforms and ways we engage with the public, and the use of X is being reviewed at the moment. No firm decisions have yet been made."

In October last year, North Wales Police quit the platform, claiming that it was "no longer consistent" with its values. Devon County Council also chose to distance itself from X, citing daily abuse, disinformation, and high costs.

Although maintaining that it was not planning to leave the platform, a spokesperson for Lincolnshire County Council insisted that the effectiveness of its social media accounts is reviewed regularly.

"We use a variety of social media platforms, in different ways, to maintain an open dialogue with local people, and we have no immediate plans to stop using any of our existing corporate accounts," they said.

"We regularly monitor the effectiveness of all our social media accounts, change our approach to using them, and explore new options to make sure we’re keeping residents up to date in the best ways."

District councils across the county have adopted a similar approach, with some also exploring additional platforms such as WhatsApp.

A spokesperson for the South & East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership said: "Boston Borough Council, East Lindsey District Council, and South Holland District Council constantly monitor engagement rates of their social media channels to ensure they are reaching as many people as possible to share our news and updates.

"The authority still has a presence on X as well as on Facebook, Next Door, LinkedIn, and Instagram (Boston) to engage with residents, visitors, and businesses.

"The councils have each launched a WhatsApp channel, providing residents and visitors with another convenient way to stay informed.

"The launch is part of each council’s ongoing efforts to improve the delivery of services to residents and visitors and create more meaningful, and efficient engagement with communities."

A representative for West Lindsey District Council highlighted that it still uses X but noted that it does not receive as much engagement there compared to Facebook, its most popular social media channel.

The City of Lincoln Council is also reviewing its accounts across all social media platforms.

A spokesperson stated: “We are currently compiling our new internal and external communications strategies, and social media plays a significant part within this. As such, we will be reviewing all of our accounts on all platforms to ensure we are continuing to get the best possible engagement with our residents and stakeholders.”

North Kesteven and South Kesteven District Councils were also approached for comment.

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