SOUTH Somerset staff and cllrs are taking part in a tweetathon today (November 26).

From street cleaning to scrutiny, civil contingencies planning to community health, the hundreds of vital services of a council will be brought to life in 140 characters.

They will be among thousands nationwide to tweet using the hashtag #OurDay, to give residents an insight into the hundreds of jobs councils do every day, from collecting rubbish and fixing roads, to taking care of vulnerable people.

During #OurDay last year there were 11,000 tweets from 3,500 contributors, reaching 3 million people.

#OurDay has been organised by the Local Government Association, which represents councils in England and Wales, and the Knowledge Hub.

The LGA is encouraging as many councillors and local authority staff as possible to take a couple of minutes out of their day to tell the world what they’re up to as part of a 24-hour live tweetathon, from 00.01 on Wednesday, by using the hashtag #OurDay.

Councillor Ric Pallister, keader of South Somerset District Council said: “Despite being a significant employer, much of the work of the Councils is invisible to most people yet what they do has a direct impact on the daily lives of many across the district.

"It is so much more than grass cutting, pot holes and rubbish collection and Our Day will provide an opportunity for residents to gain an insight into the full range of services that the Local Authorities provide.

"The staff are proud of what they do and there are many unsung heroes amongst them so this will also provide them with an opportunity to tell people about what they do.”

Cllr Peter Fleming, chair of the LGA’s Improvement and Innovation Board, added: “Councils do a huge amount of work for their communities every day, but this is not always clear to our residents. #OurDay is a chance for us to tell the many stories of 24 hours in the life of a council, from providing care for the most vulnerable in our society to fixing potholes to cleaning our streets.

“I hope as many local authorities, councillors and staff as possible take this opportunity to show how hard they are working for their communities.

"Councils are the most open and transparent part of the public sector and using social media is an easy and effective way for us to communicate with our residents and answer any questions they may have.”