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This request relates to your authority’s marketing, communications and engagement activity, including associated staffing, budgets, spend and functions. I am seeking this information to better understand how local authorities resource and deliver communications, engagement and consultation activity. For the most recent full financial year for which data is available, please provide the following:

1. Organisational structure and staffing
a) The total number of employees (FTE) working wholly or primarily in marketing, communications, media, public relations, engagement, consultation or related functions.
b) The directorate, department or service area in which these staff sit.
c) A breakdown of roles or grades where available (e.g. senior leadership, managers, officers).

2. Budget and expenditure
a) The total annual budget allocated to marketing, communications and engagement activities.
b) The total actual spend for the year.
c) A breakdown of spend between:
• Staff costs (including salaries, on-costs and temporary staff or contractors) - broken down by post
• External suppliers or agencies
• Advertising and media spend
• Website development
• Graphic and digital design
• Print expenditure
• Events, consultation exercises and engagement programmes
• Any other significant categories of spend

3. Core activities
Please outline the core activities undertaken by the marketing, communications and engagement function(s), for example:
• Corporate communications and media relations
• Campaigns and public information
• Internal communications
• Digital and social media
• Web development
• Advertising/recruitment advertising/public notices
• Public consultation and engagement
• Community engagement
• Stakeholder or partner communications

4. Discretionary vs non-discretionary activity
Please indicate:
a) Which marketing, communications and engagement activities are considered essential or statutory (including any required by legislation or regulation).
b) Which activities are considered discretionary or non-essential.
c) Any distinction you make between internal, external and community-based engagement.

5. Consultation and engagement spend
Please confirm:
a) Total spend on consultation and engagement activities (internal and external).
b) How this spend is categorised or recorded within your authority (e.g. as part of communications, policy, regeneration, public health or other budgets).

If any of the information requested is not held centrally, please provide what is available and indicate where data is not held or not recorded in the format requested.