---
title: "Meet David Holdstock, London Borough of Hillingdon"
url: https://www.simonwakeman.com/blog/2009/05/07/meet-david-holdstock-london-borough-of-hillingdon/
description: "Consultant and fractional COO for scale-up businesses. I help founders, leaders and investors in scaling businesses create sustainably high performing organisations."
published: 2009-05-07T05:33:45+00:00
modified: 2026-04-11T16:25:03+00:00
author: Simon Wakeman
---
# Meet David Holdstock, London Borough of Hillingdon

## Meet David Holdstock, London Borough of Hillingdon

![David Holdstock](https://www.simonwakeman.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/holdstock.jpg "David Holdstock")In this week’s interview David Holdstock tells us more about his work in the Corporate Communications team at the [London Borough of Hillingdon](http://www.hillingdon.gov.uk).  
As a member of the council’s corporate management team, David heads a team that provides the professional lead on reputation management, public relations, internal communications, publications, marketing, design, consultation and e-communications.  
David’s team is currently the Good Communications awards PR team of the year and council of the year.  
**What’s your current job and what does it involve? What are you responsible for?**  
The day job is Head of Corporate Communications at the [London Borough of Hillingdon](http://www.hillingdon.gov.uk). I am responsible for the strategic management of the council’s communications and engagement with staff and residents.  
I am also national chair of [LGCOMMUNICATIONS](http://www.lgcomms.org.uk/), the professional body for council communicators aimed at raising the standard of council communications.  
**How did you end up doing this role?**  
I previously worked in all the communications teams at the [Metropolitan Police Service](http://www.met.police.uk/) and as head of communications at [Slough Borough Council](http://www.slough.gov.uk). I got into communications by starting in the internal communications and parliamentary briefing unit at New Scotland Yard and developing my skills from there.  
**Can you tell us about a project or campaign you’ve worked on that you’re really proud of?**  
The UK’s first anti-terrorism awareness campaign. Following the Docklands bomb in 1996, we launched a year-long campaign aimed at raising awareness and protecting people across the UK. The results were very successful and I am sure helped to save lives – no better measurement than that.  
**Tell us a bit more about Hillingdon – what are the council’s priorities for the area?**  
Our priorities, I guess like most councils are those which our residents put at the top of their list – the environment and community safety. We also have initiatives aimed specifically at our older and younger residents.  
**What do you think is the biggest challenge facing local government communications today?**  
The current economic climate is very challenging but a real opportunity for councils to demonstrate their community leadership role and how we are delivering high quality value for money services.  
**How is the new comprehensive area assessment (CAA) process changing the way your council communicates?**  
We are now working much more closely with communications colleagues from our partners – police, health, university, college and voluntary sector. It’s in all our interests to communicate effectively as a partnership.  
**How is the growth of social media affecting your job/team?**  
It’s actually quite an exciting time – we are trying to embrace new media to support the way we communicate with our residents.  
**What advice would you have for a young PR professional wanting to work in public sector communications?**  
Enthusiasm is everything – get as much experience as you can, volunteer for everything as it will be you adding to your CV and not someone else.  
**Is there anything else you’d like to add?**  
Working in public sector communications is something I would recommend to all PR professionals – try it and you never know, you might just stay.  
\_  
Next week it’s the turn of John Shewell from [Brighton & Hove City Council](http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/) to tell us more about his role – I’m particularly looking forward to this as Brighton & Hove is a unitary council that’s very similar to Medway in terms of population size and whose communications and branding I always admire when we’re visiting Brighton.\_