05 March 2010
Source: LocalGov.co.uk ()

Tories call for greater transparency over council newspapers


Matt Hobley

Shadow local government secretary, Caroline Spelman, has said a Conservative government will require councils to publish how much they spend on publications.

In her latest attack on 'Town Hall newspapers', Mrs Spelman told the Newspaper Society Lunch that councils should be as transparent as the BBC was being asked to be.

Addressing the Society this week, Mrs Spelman said a Conservative government would tighten the Local Authority Publicity Code so that any council output was focused on services and would not compete with the independent local media.

Previous changes to the code had ‘opened the floodgates’ for local councils to enter the local media market with weekly publications and television services.

She noted that £430M was spent on council publicity – twice the figure from 1997.

Kent TV is due to close this month
Kent TV is due to close this month


The Conservatives would demand councils publish online 'exactly what they’re spending' with a full breakdown of costs.

Public notices, such as planning notices, must also continue to appear in the independent free press, she added.

’We need to take a long hard look at taxpayer-funded media and communications,’ she said. ‘Whether it's nationally or locally it can't be right that public money is used in a way that drives independent media outlets to the wall.'

Impending budget cuts facing the public sector are taking their toll on some council ventures, though. The controversial Kent TV will close this month allowing the county to save £600,000.



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