LGA: Councils should decide on newsletters
Local Government Association chairman Baroness Margaret Eaton comments on the clash between MPs and ministers over local authority publicity:
“The findings of the communities and local government select committee show there is scant evidence of council publications competing unfairly with local newspapers.
“This proves how unneccesary it would be for the government to draw up draconian new rules dictating to local authorities how often they should communicate with residents.
“Not only would this be at odds with the government’s commitment to localism but it could harm local democracy and burden councils with increased advertising costs.
“Newsletters delivered to people’s homes have consistently proved to be the cheapest ways for councils to directly communicate with residents and keep people informed about local services.
“Most council publications are distributed between four and six times a year and pose no threat to the local press, on whom the growth of the internet has had a far greater impact.”
