Thousands of local authority staff and councillors are taking part in a 24-hour tweetathon today, showcasing the diverse and varied work they do.

#OurDay – organised by the Local Government Association – encourages those in local government to tweet throughout the day to show how they are helping local communities.

Last year, more than 8,500 Twitter accounts participated, sending out more than 18,000 tweets.

Cllr William Nunn, chairman of the LGA's Improvement and Innovation Board, said: ‘#OurDay is an opportunity for people who work in councils to highlight the valuable work they do for the public. It showcases a day in the life of local government and shines a light on all the different things that councils do for their communities in a 24-hour period.’

He added: ‘Councils make a real difference in their communities, but much of what we do is out of sight, like helping vulnerable children and preventing homelessness. #OurDay is a chance to reflect 24 hours in the life of a council, from providing care for the most vulnerable in our local community to cleaning our streets.’

The weather may not always play ball this time of year but we still cut the grass on Council pitches for our local sport teams #OurDay pic.twitter.com/WDzNRvGgrp

— Brentwood Council (@Brentwood_BC) November 15, 2016