The Lee Valley Regional Park Authority (LVRPA) is responsible for a Regional Park serving London, Hertfordshire and Essex which is 26 miles long and 10,000 acres. It forms a strategic green link running from the Thames to Hertfordshire providing open spaces, leisure and sports facilities for the region. The Authority is uniquely governed by a 28 member board of representatives from the local authorities which fall within its boundaries and Greater London.

LCA has provided strategic advice to LVRPA since 2000. During this period we have conducted two stakeholder communications audits for LVRPA in 2002 and 2004 to inform the Board and Senior Officers on how they are perceived externally, particularly by key audiences and stakeholders.

The second audit in 2004 was timely, given the active involvement of LVRPA in the Olympic bidding process and its partnerships with the driving forces behind the Bid, including the 2012 team, Sport England and the LDA. LCA tailored the audit questionnaire to assess the current level of knowledge of the activities and work of the organisation as well as the general understanding of LVRPA’s role in the Bid and Bid legacy.

A large number of key London opinion formers from across a range of sectors were confidentially interviewed over a two month period. The interviewees’ comments were assessed and analysed in a report and presentation to the Board. Both of the audits revealed interesting findings about how LVRPA is viewed and highlighted its strengths and weaknesses.

The second audit particularly illustrated how the Olympic bidding process had impacted on LVRPA’s profile and the need to take advantage of the opportunities that were presenting themselves. The audit also revealed interesting views about the future challenges facing the organisation.

As a result of the findings, LCA made a series of specific communications recommendations to support LVRPA’s agenda and to build on and improve their current position.

LCA continues to be retained by LVRPA to advise them on a range of strategic and political issues across London and the South East.

Shaun Dawson, Chief Executive of LVRPA said:
“Both of the audits conducted by LCA have revealed enlightening and challenging findings for the Authority. It was interesting to see the comparison on the two sets of results and how the involvement in the Olympic bid has impacted on stakeholders’ perceptions of us. We have found these audits invaluable and have taken steps internally to act on the findings and recommendations to continue positioning the Authority as a key partner in the delivery of a successful Games and as a main legacy provider. We have also enhanced the other areas of our work, especially our environmental remit, to ensure that we remain a leader in our field as well as providing a zone of sporting excellence throughout the whole of the Lee Valley”.