Caerphilly County Borough Council has spent more than £500,000 on its ‘Newsline’ publication over the last five years, according to figures obtained by Conservative Welsh Assembly candidate Owen Meredith.
Mr Meredith made a request under the Freedom of Information Act which revealed the council had spent £512,000 on its ‘Newsline’ publication between 2005/2006 and 2010/2011.
He said: “Councillors should be ashamed. Caerphilly Council are spending the taxes of more than 110 council taxpayers every year on this shameless self-promotion. The true cost of council propaganda has been hidden by the council, who have refused by request for details of the full marketing and publicity budget, which is likely to run to many multiples of this figure. I will continue to fight for transparency and to get this figure exposed.
“The expansion of the Newsline paper in recent years has moved far away from its original function to provide information to residents. Instead it has been used for political purposes to promote certain councillors and pet projects.”
A spokesman for Caerphilly County Borough Council said: “We value the importance of communicating with our residents to keep them informed about council services and activities.
“However, we also recognise the financial constraints facing the authority and we are significantly reducing the amount of money spent on communications. In fact we have recently reduced the size of the council’s corporate communications team resulting in a £240,000 saving in the budget
“The Newsline budget has also been slashed and we now produce six editions each year instead of ten. On average, the cost of producing Newsline is just 14p per household for us to deliver timely news direct to the doorstep.
“We intend to continue to produce Newsline as it is a key way of reaching all the residents in our area, but as we embrace the use of new technology we will explore even more cost effective ways of communicating with the local community.”
Caerphilly’s Labour MP Wayne David has recently lodged an official complaint with the the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales over a council newsletter which he saw as unfairly promoting Plaid Cymru councillors
Congratulations to Owen for highlighting this issue on behalf of the ratepayers of Caerphilly
What he established has been suspected for a long time by residents, it has been a unwelcome Rag delivered to our doors whether we want to read the rubbish it contains or not, both Labour and particularly Plaid use this publ;ication to peddle and promote their respective political objectives, and that should not be allowed utilising ratepayers money.
The sooner this expensive publication, recently full of Plaid Cymru political propagander, is asigned to pulp the better, smash the presses and make those Councillors, who`s self promoting antics are highlighted time and again in this circular, promote their activities by communicating with the citizens which is what they were elected to do.
Well done Owen, Young, determined, and energetic, and not afraid, like the rest of these Assembly Candidates to raise issues others dodge, well done again.
I agree with peter Davies comments, I have been concerned for a very long time, as a Labour supporter, that my money was being misused by politicians from both Labour and now, increasingly, by Plaid Cymru.
This Paper should be discontinued, and the money saved spent of social services provisions, but there agin, if it were to be banished to the newspaper heaven in the sky, the money saved would probably be spent on subsidising this or that for the benefit of Caerphilly Councillors not the ratepayers.
Much the same as the huge Assembly Grant the Caerphilly council recieved to help those ratepayers who were on the lowest income, not one benefit claiment benefited directly from the grant and it probably disappeared by creative accounting on the part of the Council, I am not suggesting anything illegal, just imaginative manouvering on the part of Caerphilly County Borough Councillors.
Newsline has been, for many years, the a propaganda tool for whoever is in control of the council. It does not attempt to provide a service for those paying for it (we, the council tax payers) but only seeks to massage the egos of certain councillors belonging to the ruling party. Their egos, in my opinion, are already well developed enough and need no further stimulus.
If elected as an independent councillor, next year, I will press for a step change in council publicity. A quarterly news letter to update the voters on council activity and plans would suffice and be very cheap. This newsletter would highlight good work performed by councillors who are not part of any future ruling administration, be they Plaid, Labour or Independent. In other words news, not party political propaganda.
Owen Who, Richard Williams electioneering for next year, what a load of nonsense. These people are always accusing the Council of no consultation yet when they do consult they are accused of wasting money, Owen wants to look at his own party if he wants to complain about wasted money, and Richard talks about egos, he is a fine one to speak. By the way NEWSLINE was introduced by the former Labour administration and contained the same format as at present, strange there were no complaints then.
So Mark realises then that Richard Williams has acknowledged WHOEVER is in Control of the Council `LABOUR OR PLAID CYMRU` that they BOTH act in the same way and use this Rag in the same way, to peddle party properganda
I must say though that Mark has a very distorted view of Consultation if he thinks this properganda sheet is what consultation is all about.
He MUST be a supporter of Plaid Cymru, if he acknowledges this picture book attempt at news distribution is all that is required to consult the Ratepayers of Caerphilly, or, then again he could be a Councillor in disguise, finally, can Mark Tell us who "these People" are that he mentions?,
Fasinated!!!!!
Mark is quite correct, Labour did introduce newsline in this format, drum beating in support of themselves as the ruling party at that time. Plaid Cymru gleefully took control of this propaganda sheet in 2008 and used it in exactly the same way. Where Mark is wrong, is saying that nobody complained during Labour's rule, I did. I reiterate I want news not propaganda, whoever is in control.
I am nonplussed by the assertion that 'Newsline' forms a part of a 'consultation' process. Telling people how wonderful your party is and what they plan to do, all paid for by the hard pressed council tax payer, is not public consultation. I am in favour of proper consultation which is two-way communication as this saves money in the long term. Newsline has nothing whatever to do with this process.
This is good stuff from Meredith. Problem is that I would be willing to bet my left foot that if the Tories controlled the Council they would do the EXACT same thing with it.