Council leaders have today published a list of 200 words
and phrases that public bodies should not use if they want to
communicate with local people.
Many of the terms are used regularly in the IT industry - in
speeches, publications and the business media - such as gateway
review, synergy, stakeholder engagement, baseline, benchmarking,
best practice, blue-sky thinking, champion, challenge, early win,
functionality, transformational and vision.
The list's worst offenders against plain English include
Predictors of Beaconicity, situational, place shaping and
coterminosity.
The Local Government Association has drawn up the list of words
that ought to be banned, and is sending it to councils across the
country.
Among the 200 words are re-baselining, mainstreaming, holistic
governance, contestability and synergies.
The association says that everyone who works in public services
should use language that makes their work easily understood.
Chairman of the Local Government Association, Margaret Eaton,
said, "The public sector must not hide behind impenetrable jargon
and phrases. Why do we have to use 'coterminous, stakeholder
engagement' when we could just 'talk to people' instead?
"During the recession, it is vital that we explain to people in
plain English how to access the 800 different services that local
government provides with taxpayers' money.
"Councils have a duty, not only to provide value for money to
local people, but also to tell people what they get for the tax
they pay.
"Unless information is given to people to explain what help they
can get during a recession,more people could end up homeless or
bankrupt. If a council fails to explain what it does in plain
English, then local people will fail to understand its relevance to
them or why they should bother to turn out and vote.
Click here for the list of banned words and their
alternatives