Wirral Council Attacked Over Monthly Council Newspaper Plans

Wirral Council is facing a backlash over plans to launch a monthly council newspaper which could be in breach of government guidelines on local authority publicity.

The News Media Association has been at the centre of the campaign to get council newspapers which compete with independent commercial titles for readers and advertisers abolished, leading to then Communities Secretary Eric Pickles to introduce new government guidelines which state that council publications should be published no more frequently than quarterly.  

Wirral Council’s plans, which appear to breach the guidelines, have led to all 21 members of the council’s Conservative group calling in the plans, according to the Wirral Globe.

The call-in says: “We believe it is a costly miscalculation for the Labour cabinet to believe it is somehow above Government guidance.

“Within the cabinet report and at the subsequent meeting there was absolutely no consideration given to the variety of successful community publications that operate across Wirral.

“We believe this shows a complete disregard for the years of hard work that a great number of community activists have given to Wirral and jeopardises the invaluable goodwill that the council relies upon to deliver its significant community engagement agenda.

“The Labour administration cannot control what these papers print and we are concerned that this may be the driving force behind the creation of this town hall Pravda.”

“The Government has shown it is committed to ensuring the independent free press does not face unfair competition from municipal publications.

“We believe cabinet’s disregard for recommended code of practice for local authority publicity is tantamount to Labour playing fast and loose with council taxpayers’ money.”