Breakthrough Communications Blog

Practical insights, guides and advice on council communications, data protection, FOI compliance and more for parish and town councils.

AI in the (real) council world

AI in the (real) council world

27th Apr 2026

Only about 1 in 10 councils said they had properly given thought to their council's AI strategy.

Read Article →
Five Simple Actions to Make Your Council’s Communications More Effective

Five Simple Actions to Make Your Council’s Communications More Effective

24th Mar 2026

Over the years, we've helped many councils create and implement communications strategies that boost trust with the communities they serve. We've set out below five tips that councils of any size can adopt to boost their approach to communications in 2026.

Read Article →
How do councils demonstrate data protection compliance?

How do councils demonstrate data protection compliance?

4th Mar 2026

A practical guide for how parish and town councils can easily demonstrate data protection compliance.

Read Article →
AI Vs An Information Compliance expert

AI Vs An Information Compliance expert

16th Feb 2026

AI Vs An Information Compliance expert

Read Article →
5 Signs Your Council Social Media is Working

5 Signs Your Council Social Media is Working

9th Feb 2026

5 Signs Your Council Social Media is Working

Read Article →
Assertion 10 Frequently Asked Questions

Assertion 10 Frequently Asked Questions

9th Dec 2025

Assertion 10 Frequently Asked Questions

Read Article →
A Quick Guide to the Canva October 2025 Updates - and what it means for councils

A Quick Guide to the Canva October 2025 Updates - and what it means for councils

7th Nov 2025

A Quick Guide to the Canva October 2025 Updates - and what it means for councils

Read Article →
Information Requests, Getting the Basics Right

Information Requests, Getting the Basics Right

27th Oct 2025

Information Requests, Getting the Basics Right

Read Article →
Why consistency matters in council communications

Why consistency matters in council communications

3rd Oct 2025

Every message your council puts out is an opportunity to build its brand identity. When messages look, sound, and feel like they belong together, your council isn’t just informing or updating residents. It is also building confidence, credibility, and lasting trust.

Read Article →
Making information requests less stressful - Best practice for FOI and SAR requests

Making information requests less stressful - Best practice for FOI and SAR requests

17th Sep 2025

Making information requests less stressful - Best practice for FOI and SAR requests

Read Article →
Three practical ways AI could save your council time next week

Three practical ways AI could save your council time next week

12th Sep 2025

Three practical ways AI could save your council time next week

Read Article →
Top Ten Data Protection Pitfalls for Councils and How to Avoid Them

Top Ten Data Protection Pitfalls for Councils and How to Avoid Them

11th Sep 2025

Top Ten Data Protection Pitfalls for Councils and How to Avoid Them

Read Article →
The Six Stage Journey Councils Should Take  to Data Protection Compliance

The Six Stage Journey Councils Should Take  to Data Protection Compliance

7th Aug 2025

The Six Stage Journey Councils Should Take  to Data Protection Compliance

Read Article →
Cara Stobart joins the Breakthrough Communications team

Cara Stobart joins the Breakthrough Communications team

25th Jul 2025

Cara Stobart joins the Breakthrough Communications team

Read Article →
A quick guide to the AGAR Assertion 10 and UK GDPR Compliance

A quick guide to the AGAR Assertion 10 and UK GDPR Compliance

30th Jun 2025

What Local Councils Need to Know (And Do) Before Their Next AGAR Submission

Read Article →
What the new data protection law means for local councils

What the new data protection law means for local councils

20th Jun 2025

What the new data protection law means for local councils

Read Article →
Top Tips for Local Council Asset Management Compliance

Top Tips for Local Council Asset Management Compliance

15th Jun 2025

Top Tips for Local Council Asset Management Compliance

Read Article →
What is the best way to publish councillor contact information from a data protection perspective?

What is the best way to publish councillor contact information from a data protection perspective?

9th Jun 2025

What is the best way to publish councillor contact information from a data protection perspective?

Read Article →
What does the FOI cost limit actually mean?

What does the FOI cost limit actually mean?

Understanding how the cost limit works can make handling FOI requests feel much more manageable.

Read Article →
Introducing the Breakthrough Masterclass Pass

Introducing the Breakthrough Masterclass Pass

One price. Five tickets. Save £130. Get access to expert communications and compliance training for your council, whenever you want it.

Read Article →
The six steps to help every council communicate more effectively

The six steps to help every council communicate more effectively

1st Apr 2026

We've developed a simple, six step framework to help councils communicate in a way that builds trust, even when they're busy.

Read Article →
How often should you consider Data Protection?

How often should you consider Data Protection?

24th Mar 2026

Data protection should not be something you add on at the end. It should shape how your service is designed from the start.

Read Article →
Communications, Compliance and a Cup of Tea

Communications, Compliance and a Cup of Tea

12th Dec 2023

A monthly video series sitting down with a council to get the inside track on communications and compliance best practice.

Read Article →
Deck the Halls with Data Compliance

Deck the Halls with Data Compliance: A Festive Guide for Local Councils

14th Dec 2023

A Christmas clean-up for councils. Practical tips on data protection, email retention and keeping your inbox clutter-free.

Read Article →
Monthly Training Update

Monthly Training Update

10th Jan 2024

Looking back on 1,000+ delegates trained with fantastic feedback, plus a snapshot of upcoming training sessions.

Read Article →
GDPR compliance for parish councils

GDPR compliance can be tough for parish councils, but it could be worse

Understanding the data protection compliance regime for parish and town councils, and how Section 7 of the Data Protection Act provides relief.

Read Article →
No articles found in this category.

Stay in the loop