North Yorkshire Council
York and North Yorkshire Joint Committee
24.07.2023
Branding and website recommendations for the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority
Report of the Chief Operating Officer, York and North Yorkshire LEP
1.0 PURPOSE OF REPORT
1.1 To propose York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority branding
1.2 To make recommendations on the sub brands featured and linked from the Combined Authority website on day one.
2.0 BACKGROUND
2.1 Since April the Head of Communications from the York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has worked in collaboration with colleagues from North Yorkshire Council (NYC), City of York Council (CYC) and the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (OFPCC) to develop branding for the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority (CA). Collaboration has also resulted in plans for the CA website and close working relating to communications planning and protocols.
2.2 This paper makes a recommendation for a brand for the CA. The paper makes a recommendation for the sub brands to be linked from the CA website on day one.
2.3 The contents of this paper and resulting recommendations have been developed in consultation with the Heads of Communications for both the CYC and NYC and communications colleagues from the OFPCC and the LEP.
3.0 BRANDING AND WEBSITE UPDATE
3.1 In April 2023, CYC and NY Chief Executives approved a set of principles and a budget for branding and website development for the CA. The principles agreed were:
· Safe and legal on day one
· Make the most of existing resources
· Build to minimum requirements without compromising customer experience
· Keep the door open for future development
3.2 A working group has been formed with communications colleagues from the OFPCC, CYC, NYC and LEP and a proposed brand has been developed. The brand logo can be seen at Annex 1 and the full concept at Annex 2. This brand has been worked up through a series of engagements with this working group.
1. Written comments reviewing existing branding and sub brands
2. First draft concepts developed, and written comments returned
3. Second draft concepts developed and reviewed at face-to-face workshop
4. Brand concept agreed for further development and progressed to Chief Executives for comments. This is the brand seen at Annex 1.
3.3 It is recommended that Joint Committee approve the brand design (seen at Annex 1). It is also recommended that in the interest of consistency and longevity any development of sub-brands (such as the OFPCC) is made with reference to this brand design.
3.4 Following the agreement of a headline structure for the website and the website address (www.ynyca.gov.uk) by the Chief Executives in April 2023, further consultation with colleagues from the OFPCC and economic development colleagues in NYC and CYC has led to a proposal of the sub brands that should be present and linked from the main CA website on day one. It is recommended that the CA website have clear and branded links to:
1. Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner – it is proposed that a top line menu contains a branded link that will direct to an information page with link to current OFPCC website on day one.
2. York & North Yorkshire Growth Hub – it is proposed that as a business support service for York and North Yorkshire a branded link to the Growth Hub will be included in the top line menu at day one. Any enquires from businesses looking for local support will be met through effective collaboration and signposting already in practice between the Growth Hub, CYC and NYC.
3. Invest In York & North Yorkshire – as Inward Investment is a recognised function of CAs, it is proposed that the Invest brand is included in the top line menu. This will be linked to pages within the website that will mirror the Invest pages that are currently found on the LEP website.
3.5 The above proposals are for the website at day one. Any further progress of these brands and their web presence will be considered in activity planning after day one. The website will be built with the flexibility and capacity to scale the website as the functions of the CA develop.
4.0 ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED
4.1 Whilst alternative options for the branding design and website structure have been tested through consultation with partners, there are minimum requirements specified by Government that Combined Authority communications (including website) meet statutory assurance obligations.
5.0 FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
5.1 Costs associated with website and branding development have been considered within the implementation costs of the Combined Authority.
6.0 LEGAL IMPLICATIONS
6.1 Both the website and branding are required to meet statutory assurance obligations.
7.0 EQUALITIES IMPLICATIONS
7.1 Statutory organisations are obliged to meet accessibility criteria for websites. These have been considered within the planning for the website build.
8.0 CLIMATE CHANGE IMPLICATIONS
8.1 Branded material assets relating to the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority will be kept to a minimum.
9.0 REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS
9.1 These recommendations have been made as the result of collaboration and support across all constituent parties within the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority. The recommendations made will support the organisation to meet statutory assurance obligations with regard to communications.
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10.0 |
RECOMMENDATIONS
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i) That the Joint Committee note and approve the branding design for the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority.
ii) That the Joint Committee note and approve the partner sub-brands that will linked from the CA website from day one.
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APPENDICES:
Appendix A – Brand logo
Appendix B – Full brand concept
Report Author – Aissa Gallie – Head of Communications for the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership.
Annex 1 Proposed York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority brand logo
Annex 2 – see attached document