Acceptable Use Policy

Social media: Acceptable use policy

Purpose & Scope

This policy applies to all Stroud District Council social media platforms, including Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

Our goal is to encourage genuine, transparent engagement by sharing service updates, campaigns, and useful information. Please engage respectfully - abusive behaviour will not be tolerated.

Acceptable Conduct

Comments may be removed or reported if they are reasonably considered to:

• Contain abusive, offensive, or discriminatory language
• Attack individuals personally or harass staff or councillors
•  Include unlawful content or content which incites unlawful acts
• Be spam, promotional, or impersonating others
• Share personal contact details

Staying on topic

Please keep conversations relevant to the post. Off-topic or out-of-context content, spam, promotional or links to third-party sites may be removed.

Comment Deletion & Retention

We may delete comments that are considered by the council to be defamatory, misleading, abusive, threatening, hateful, or otherwise unacceptable. Deleted comments are archived for 12 months. In serious cases, content may be referred to the police.

Blocking & Warnings

Repeat offenders under this policy will receive one warning before being blocked from this account for six months. After this period, their status will be reviewed.

Disabling Comments

Comments may be disabled on certain posts, especially during sensitive discussions or outside monitoring hours.

Hate Crime & Harassment

Hate crime includes incidents motivated by prejudice toward protected characteristics (e.g: disability, race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation). Harassing or hateful comments may be reported to the police.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding concerns will be referred to the appropriate authorities.

Complaints & Appeals

We welcome feedback through our official complaints procedure.

Pre-Election Neutrality

During pre-election periods, comments endorsing a party or candidate may be removed to maintain neutrality.

Contact Information

General Enquiries: 01453 766321

Email: customer.services@stroud.gov.uk

Complaints Form: www.stroud.gov.uk/complaints

Postal Address: Stroud District Council, Ebley Mill, Ebley Wharf, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 4UB