The Conservative candidate who stood in Caerphilly during this year’s Assembly election has repeated his call for council publication Newsline to be scrapped.
Wales Online reported on Monday how information in Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Newsline was also used by Plaid Cymru on its website.
In April, Caerphilly candidate Owen Meredith criticised the council after his Freedom of Information request showed that more than half a million pound of taxpayers’ money had been spent producing Newsline over the last five years.
Mr Meredith said: “In April, Welsh Conservatives exposed the shocking levels of taxpayers’ money being ploughed in to this vanity newspaper.
“Today we have seen shocking evidence of the abuse of taxpayer funds by Plaid Cymru. There is now nowhere for them to hide. The Newsline has been well and truly exposed as the shameful propaganda tool we have always said it was.
“In hard times, Caerphilly Council are spending the taxes of more than 110,000 council tax payers every year on this Plaid Cymru mouthpiece. It should be scrapped.
“Both Labour and Plaid administrations in Caerphilly have indulged in self promotion through the Newsline. The Welsh Conservatives are the only party in Caerphilly who would scrap the paper and invest the money in frontline services, where it can make a real difference to local families.”
A spokesman for Caerphilly County Borough Council said: “The council produced a press release on its apprenticeship scheme on October 24 2011 and sent the release to a wide range of media outlets together with the photograph.
“We believe the Caerphilly Observer used the release itself together with the photo. As you know from this there is always an opportunity for others to use this material once published. The release and photograph are also on our archive news web pages.
“The release has been used in the Newsline publication this month to further promote a key policy of the authority supported by all of the council to provide work opportunities for young people in the county borough.
“The cost of Newsline has been reduced in the last year as part of the council’s overall medium term financial plan and is produced and delivered at a cost of 15p per household – less than the price of a second class stamp – and delivers information about council services and how local residents can use these services.”
I quite enjoy reading it actually. maybe the cost could be reduced if they produced it as english only, and not bow to the welsh language brigade
I generally agree with Mr. Meredith's comment on 'Newsline', it has been a propaganda sheet for both the Nationalists and Labour, produced at our expense. He suggests scrapping it altogether but I think that the council should provide news and that the paper should survive. It just needs to become a properly inclusive publication that reflects the differing views of the people who finance it.
As an example the recent gas main fiasco, in Caerffili town centre, should have been properly reported. This would have included comment by Independent councillors, Labour, residents, traders, con-Dems as well as Plaid Cymru. This would help voters decide for themselves where they stand on local issues. I have also suggested (for several years) that there should be a letters page, vigorously resisted by both Plaid and Labour, where contrary views can be expressed.
The function of a local authority's news-sheet should be local news and information foremost; party politics should relegated to the very small percentage of the borough’s population who belong to political organisations. I have a sneaking feeling that if, by a colossal swing, the Conservatives were duly elected to run the borough that Newsline would continue in its partial reporting. The only difference would be that instead of propounding the policies of Labour or Nationalist it would become a Tory rag. Not the best way to spend our money.
Considering that most, if not all of the content, of this Political Propaganda rag can be found on the Caerphilly County Council Website, I fail to see any reasonable cause for this `not fit for purpose information sheet` being rammed down the throats of ratepayers who don`t want to read it anyway. It is clearly a waste of valuable local Council finances at a time of financial constraint, but, of course it is not in the interest of either Plaid Cymru or Labour Councillors to call a halt to this appalling waste of public money.Don`t deliver mine in future and give the 15p it costs the Council to deliver it to me,to charity. I don`t want it, I don`t read it in any meaningful way, and, I always bin it within minutes of it hitting my door mat. I really cannot see for the life of me what there is in it to `enjoy`. A complete waste of public money used for party political propaganda.
I agree it is a total waste of money,I also bin mine within seconds.
If CCBC had genuine news for its residents why don't they just put it in The Caerphilly Campaign I think the cost would be far less .
The Minister for Local Government and Communities agreed to pay Bridgend County Borough Council and Caerphilly County Borough Council their full outcome agreement grant for their performance and delivery of their outcome agreements in 2010-11. The Minister for Local Government and Communities also agreed to write to the leaders of both local authorities to inform them of his decision.
Date of decision:
24 November 2011
Statement of information:
During 2010 all local authorities in Wales concluded an outcome agreement with the Welsh Government. These agreements set out the actions that each local authority will take over the next three years, and improvements they will make, to secure ten different outcomes which contribute to the Welsh Government’s national objectives. In return for making adequate progress toward these outcomes, each local authority is eligible for a reward grant each year. Grants are reduced if less progress is made; and no grant is payable if progress is unsatisfactory overall.
The submission describes and evaluates the performance of Bridgend County Borough Council and Caerphilly County Borough Council in delivering their outcome agreements during 2010-11. It concludes that Bridgend County Borough Council have shown progress toward eight of their outcomes to be successful and two to be partially successful. Caerphilly County Borough Council have shown progress toward eight of the outcomes to be successful and two to be partially successful. It therefore recommends that the Minister for Local Government and Communities should agree to pay both Councils their full outcome agreement grant.
Having carefully read what Cllr. Fussel has written in relation to the debate on the propaganda sheet, sorry Newsline, I fail to see any connection, at all, with the article or associated comments.
If anyone can see a connection please enlighten me. Incidentally, as a communication, this "outcomes agreement" is extremely poorly written. The sort of gobledy gook that often emanates from local government departments.
Richard – I agree. I'm not sure why Cllr Fussell felt the need to post that comment.
Owen raises a relevant point in his criticism of the Caerphilly Borough council in respect to waste of public money on this useless publication which means very little or nothing to most people in the borough, and to regurgitate old news once a month is a completely useless, and pointless, exercise, except of course unless it is to repeat political propaganda spin in the hope that some of it will impress itself on its readers, if you read it that is.
And what is the Comment posted here from Council Cabinet Member of Caerphilly Borough council, Councillor James Fussell all about? What is its relevance to his comments, anyone Know? does Mr Fussell know? if so can he explain it?.
I cannot understand what Mr Fussell is talking about,looks like something has been copied and pasted to the wrong place.
Here we go again, bash Plaid for doing what has been done for years, produce a Council information news sheet. Firstly we get Owen Meredith, who represrnts a party which has an abysmal record in mishandling the nation`s finances and making the deficit worse by forcing austerity on the rest of us while the fat cats, which his party represents, pay goes up by 49% has the cheek to accuse the council of wasting money on a news sheet, he claims with no evidence to be a Plaid propaganda device. Then Simon9174 and Arthur, whoever they are, jump on as members of the backwoods anti Welsh language brigade, apparently unaware that the Council are complying with the law in producing bilingual material, and on economy grounds, why not stop the English version , since the Welsh speakers were here long before the migration of starving jobseeking monoglots from the west of England. And then, we get Trefor Bond and Richard Williams joining in the attack on the Council Newsletter, merely because the Council is run by Plaid, and they, as part of an narrow minded English Ratepayers Caucus, hate Wales, the Welsh, Plaid Cymru and spending what they see as their money on public information.God help Caerphilly if this bunch get near the centre of power.
Please can anyone explain to me what Mr Fussell is saying? Thank you
I do wish Ron James would read the comments before making his own. I do not attack the propaganda sheet because it is currently run by Plaid, the Labour version would be just as poor. I also said, in my comment, that if the Conservatives won I suspect it would be a "Tory Rag." I do not hate Wales, I am a very proud Welshman, I do not hate the Welsh, that would imply I hate myself, I support the Welsh language and have commented on Welsh medium education in Caerffili in this on-line paper. I am a signatury to the recent petition on funding for the St. Ilan (Welsh) school.
Furthermore I am not part of any caucus, least of all an English one. Neither do I hate Plaid Cymru, I have voted for their candidates many times, including Cllrs. Whittle and Fussel.
What I do believe is that public money is just that, our money, every one of us. I do not like it being wasted on propaganda for any party, but as I said I do want the council to produce a non partial news-sheet, which informs of services and local news.
Ron James appears to believe that whoever wins the election has a right to spend tax payers money on glorifying themselves. Perhaps I am just mis-reading what he is saying, as he mis-read what I said.
Thanks Ron James for mentioning me in your dispatch, and, as much as I would like to take credit for all those people who vote Tory, Labour, and Independent in Welsh Elections I really don`t think I should.
No-one else accept me can possibly know if I support a Political Party or not, and certainly nobody can know if I `hate` Plaid Cymru or not,least of All Ron James.
Whilst I would like to reiterate my comments in respect to the News-line, its costs and its editorial policy of regurgitating old news bites for political purposes I see little point in doing so if Ron does`nt read them.
But, I cannot let Ron`s comments pass without saying this, there are long established Plaid Cymru Councillors sitting
on Caerphilly council who may not be there now, but certainly would not have been there thirty odd years ago, had it not been for my direct and immediate family, and me, all of whom signed nomination forms to enable them to stand for election, when, to do so got you "stoned in the streets". it identified individuals as `not a Labour supporter`. Those Councillors know who they are.
More than one of my immediate family was a mover and shaker in originally establishing the `Welsh Nationalist` as a movement to gain independence for Wales, I was brought up in a household steeped in the traditions of Welsh Nationalism and all things welsh. So all in all I don't think I shall be too worried about my Plaid Cymru antecedents. Now, if Ron were to direct his comments at my views on the conservatives, then that's another ball, I have severe nose bleeds when I think about them.
The Council information newsletter does not spend taxpayers money on glorifing Plaid, or any other Party, it is there to inform the public how their money is being spent. Does Richard Williams want a situation, where the Council does not provide a feedback service to the public, as a Ratepayer, he would be among the first to complain if the Council did not let us know how our money is being spent. No doubt he would also complain if the Council material was poduced without refernce to the Chairman and other democraticaly elected members, this is not some Nazi Propaganda sheet praising how they dominate society, its merely a small local newletter. He should also be careful of how he choses his bedfellows, from the response, it appears all the opposition to the news letter appear to support Owen Meredith the failed Conservative candidate,and his saloon bar policies. These are not nice people, they are the nasty party as can be seen from their failed economic and social policies and the way they are punishing the poor to benefit the rich. It would be better to support Plaid, or, at least, not knock them for no reason, than give any form of backing to Thatcher`s children, who waste an infinitely much more sum of money in their blatant propagand than is spent on a Council newsletter..
Wrong again, Ron James. I have said quite a few times that we should have a council news letter. This paper should inform, in an impartial fashion, the voters in this borough of where their money goes and news events. When did the News line last report on what Labour and Independent councillors achieved? When Labour were the majority did this 'News line' report on what Plaid were doing? It is a propaganda sheet, full stop.
As for any opposition to the Newsline being orchestrated by Tories and their supporters I think this is untrue. I have not seen a single comment, on this article, that supports the Tories in any way. The debate is about whether Labour and Plaid take it in turns to produce a propaganda sheet, at our expense, or whether editorial control should be taken out of the hands of politicians.
I would like to thank Owen Meredith for raising the issue in these pages. I can do this because I am not in any political organisation that is able to censure me for doing so. I belong to the majority; the House of Commons Library informs me that 98.7% of voters did not belong to a political party (2005 figures). This silent majority surely deserves a non political news-sheet. After all they pay for it!
The CCBC are always claiming how well they are doing saving money,well save some more and spend it on real essentials.
This free newsline paper won't be missed,like I said befor any Genuine information the council have why don't they just put it in the Caerphilly Campaign I'm sure the cost won't be as much.
What are Mr Fussells thoughts on this paper?
He has not replied since the last post which no one could really
understand what that has go to do with the free newsline.
I think the current run Council are a joke,all they seem to do is praise themselves,they give planning permission to major retailers without a thought on the local traders,Trethomas is one case and now we have the former Bowls pub being granted permission to be changed into shops.
Makes me wonder if the Plaid councillors care at all it certainly don't look like,by the way I am not from ANY Political party just a tax payer who also pays Council Tax,would I vote for Plaid?? may be before I would have done but this last years mess with the Town and the Total lack of support from Plaid,not even turning up for the meetings makes me feel that Plaid are NOT the best party for Caerphilly.
Ron is wrong again in his misguided and miscalculated perception, for that it what it is, that contributors to this article, which I agree was inspired by a Tory, Owen Meredith, support `The Children of Thatcher`. I don`t, I never ever have, and I never ever will, so, now we`ve got that clear I would very respectfully ask Ron to re-read the comments contributors have placed against this article.
The sensitivity of Plaid Cymru supporters, members and particularly Councillors, to criticism, and I take it Ron falls into one of these three categories, is usually vehement, vitriolic personal attack and rejection of everyone else`s views and free speech, there are of course exceptions to the rule and there are particularly good, extremely industrious,and dedicated to the cause communicative Councillors on Caerphilly Council, who take a much more magnanimous and pragmatic approach to others opinions and do not hold up all political opponents as `Enemies of the Welsh State`.Ron must take a step back and regroup his thoughts in a calm way.
Its strange that Trefor Bond claims that Plaid suporters reaction is "usually vehement, vitriolic personal attack and rejection of everyone else`s views and free speech", but that is exactly what he and his Rataepayer mates do, find any stick, even one handed to them by the Tories, but then Ratepayers are Tories, to beat Plaid Cymru with. In politics it is trueism that your opponents can have good ideas and the mature person accepts that point. With the newsletter, it was established when the Labour Party were in power, it is not a propagnda magazine dreamed up by Plaid. What Trefor Bond and his pals should remember that is that the Tories dislike local government because thay cant control it and their long term aim is to do away with it, or make it an empty shell so if you relly believe in democracy yhey should not support the Tories, especialy whenthey are using issues lile the newsletter to istract the electorate from the mess they have made of the economy.
Ron, again, misses the point, but what he has now admitted is that this `ratepayer` funded newspaper is, in fact, a method of promoting the political advancement of one particular political group, currently that is Plaid Cymru, previously it was, and will again be Labour, the only reason it will never be the mouthpiece of the Tories is that they can never get their hands on it.
And of course, he has done it again, i.e. tried to bully opponents into submission by his particular style of ranting attack on anyone who disagrees with his political views, and one further message for Ron, and anyone else who agrees with his particular rant, Wales belongs to me, it is not in his or his political Plaid Cymru friends patronage to decide what happens to it or how it progresses at the cost of marginalising or isolating the huge majority of `True` Welsh Citizens who do not support him, his political views and those of his political allies.
I have a had a really good laugh with this string of comments. Trefor Bond a Tory? You might as well say David Cameron is a socialist. I note that I am a Tory too, I'd better tell Owen Meredith as I'm sure he does not know.
I just can't get my head around the link between the Tory-Liberal coalition in Westminster and a council propaganda sheet in a local authority with no Conservative members.
I am more than happy to critiscise the government but I really cannot blame them for Newsline. Maybe though, in 30 years, papers will come to light that Newsline was instigated by Margaret Thatcher using a sinister Tory slush fund and that councillors were sworn to silence, on pain of confinement in the Tower.
Thank you Editor for providing an entertaining and informative on-line paper, I pretty much stopped writing letters to the paper based press, your paper is a breath of fresh air and will become even more interesting as the local election approaches.
I would also like to thank all the team at Caerphilly Observer for a great on line Newspaper.
I still cannot understand what Mr Fussell has posted,why don't he explain what he means? Or is that just it ?
I wonder if Mr Fussell likes the Newsline paper? Or do he also think its a waste of money?
I wonder if perhaps Ron James can offer some enlightenment in respect to us all trying to understand Councillor Fussell`s comments posted on this article, clearly Councillor Fussell is resisting the urge to do so????.
Trefor Bond is apparently unable to understand the written word, what i said was
With the newsletter, it was established when the Labour Party were in power, it is not a propagnda magazine dreamed up by Plaid.
He said
what he has now admitted is that this `ratepayer` funded newspaper is, in fact, a method of promoting the political advancement of one particular political group, currently that is Plaid Cymru.
There is no way you can link my statement with his comment, unless you have a warped sense of reality.
The News letter is simply a Council means of keeping the people informed of what it is doing. The "Council" which produce the nesletter is a different legal entity from the leading group on the Council, no matter who they are. Does he want to stop publication, if so that allows Owen Meredith, and his bunch of right wing, politically and economically illiterate backswoods men win.
I never agree with the conservatives BUT I really do think that the newsline is a waste of time and money and the money could be used for far better use.
I enjoy reading it, sometimes I think maybe it could be in black n white with a lower quality paper to save costs. I dont think it could be quite classed as propaganda. That's a bit strong, at the end of the day who ever is in control, Plaid or Labour (I think we can all be glad its never the Tory's) the work the local authority does will ultimately be done and really that should be advertised to the general public in some form. I've read Newsline and there's been articles in there on topics or work being done that I would not have known about if it wasn't for the paper. Somebody said something along the lines that its something people never read or relate to, (I haven't got the time to scroll through and quote it). However I will say that sounds like a sweeping statement and I'd like to see the evidence (if there is any) to support it.
As someone who can be described as a objective observer, I am interested in the politial divisions, this storm in a teacup over the cost of the newsletter, yet again, has opened up. In a way, the 1997 Assembly vote, and the decision by Rhodri Morgan to call the Welsh Assembly Government, later shortened to Welsh Government, has defused much of Plaid Cymru`s powder, Ron Davies, when in the Labour Party, shot Plaid`s fox, you wanted Devolution you got Devolution. So we have two social democratic groups on the left in Wales, Labour and Plaid Cymru,with not much difference between them, and on the right, we have the Conservatives and Ratepayers. anyone who remembers the 1960s will recall that the Ratepayers, who stood for the old Caerphilly UDC, were Conservatives under another name, I dont think things have changed much. The best way of explaining the difference between left and right, is that both Labour and Plaid Cymru, would, for example, want to spend money opening a playing field, one calling it after Tony Blair, and the other after Dafydd Wigley, the names dont really matter because we would at least have a new playing field. On the other hand, both the Conservatives and Ratepayers would not want to spend their money on opening a playing field, let alone spend money on a Council Newsletter telling the public how they had spent money to improve the life of the borough.
I notice that some people are calling those who are willing to stand for election (as independent candidates), instead of just moaning about things, "Ratepayers", presumably as a some kind of slur. Speaking for myself I don't mind a bit because the vast majority of the people do not belong to a political party and are just Ratepayers, or at least were until rates were superceded by other taxes, currently called council tax.
What does exasperate me is that all those who do not uncritically support Plaid or Labour are called Tories, by party hacks. I have never voted Tory in my life. I am a lifelong trade union member, spent a year on strike for a principle, was elected treasurer by an NUM lodge (NUM members could sniff out a closet Tory the length of a rugby field away and would certainly not elect one) and voted for Jeff Cuthbert in the last ballot. I might have cast my vote for Plaid, often have in the past, but their manifesto did not impress me on this occasion.
The fact of the matter is that in my ward, St. Martin's, the independents blew Labour, the Tories and the Liberals out of the water in 2008. They came narrow second to Plaid and have thus scared the living daylights out of the political types and their pet parties. Only 1.3% of people belong to political parties in Britain. In my view parties are important in national politics but are increasingly becoming irrelevent in local government.
Using John Owen's simplistic analogy of the playing field what may happen is that Plaid would call it one name and Labour would change it when they were elected. As John Owen correctly says the name would have no relevance whatsoever to Caerffili but would glorify some self serving politician. This is if they ever ceased bickering for long enough to provide a field in the first place, many of the playing fields I competed on as a youngster are gone, courtesy of perpetual Plaid and Labour administrations.
I also think this paper is a waste of money,the council decided it would be a good idea to save money to have the toilets below the twyn car park without a attendant ,they have had loads of problems there since with vandals ,this newspaper money would be better off paying someone to man the toilets.
I notice that councillor Fussel has not explained to us what his post is all about,OR has councillor Fussell decided to just ignore it now?