Shepway, Folkestone and Sandgate Councillors listed on new Councillor Twitter directory service

1.44.54pm GMT Tue 17th Feb 2009

A new website acting as directory of Councillors using the popular "Twitter" service (www.twitter.com) has reached 112 Councillors nationwide as of mid-February - including Councillors on Shepway District Council, Folkestone Town Council and Sandgate Parish Council.

The cllrtweeps webwite (http://cllrtweeps.com/) has an index of all Councils with all Councillors using Twitter at http://cllrtweeps.com/councils/

In Shepway, Lib Dem Councillors Tim Prater and Tom McNeice regularly post updates via Twitter, with Tim Prater, Tom McNeice and Gary Fuller listed for Folkestone Town Council. In Sandgate Parish Council, Season Prater is listed.

The service distributes information online in bite-size messages equivalent to a text message from a mobile phone. It can then by read by other users who are 'following' the sender. A typical message could include a web link to something the sender finds interesting.

Liberal Democrats are most likely to be using Twitter, with the cllrtweeps site says 41 of the 112 currently listed are Lib Dems with 25 conservative, 22 Labour and a smattering of Green, independents and others.

To follow updates from your local Councillors, sign-up for your own Twitter account at www.twitter.com and then choose to "follow" the people you are interested in. In Shepway, you may be interested in following:

• Gary Fuller: Folkestone Harvey Central Councillor (username: garymarkfuller)

• Tom McNeice: Morehall Councillor (username: TomMcNeice)

• Tim Prater: Folkestone Cheriton Councillor (username: Tim Prater)

• Season Prater: Sandgate Valley Councillor (username: seasonprater)

• Neil Matthews: Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesman for Folkestone & Hythe (username: neilmatthews1)

• Shepway Liberal Democrats (username: shepwayld)

Related Link:

Read "Town Halls sign up to Twitter" at the Local Government Chronicle website