Welsh Councils are spending £1million a year bombarding Welsh taxpayers with propaganda, Welsh Conservatives claimed today.
Data released under the Freedom of Information Act, shows at least 15 Welsh local authorities used taxpayers’ cash last year to produce and deliver their own newspaper.
Cardiff Council spent £331,000 in 2011-2012 on 13 editions of its taxpayer-funded ‘Capital Times’.
The two Conservative controlled councils Monmouthshire and the Vale of Glamorgan did not produce a newspaper.
Two authorities, Newport and Carmarthenshire recouped a significant proportion of their production and delivery costs through advertising revenue.
Janet Finch-Saunders AM, Shadow Minister for Local Government, said, “Hard-pressed taxpayers will be rightly outraged to see local authorities using public money to produce their own version of the Pravda.
“Councils should not be charging the taxpayer to tell us all what a wonderful job they’re doing.
“At a time when budgets are under considerable pressure, Welsh Councils should be economising to protect vital services.
“Clearly Councils have a duty to inform the public of refuse collections and other available services, but creating their own censored tabloids is just wasteful.
“In an age of technological advances, local authorities should consider whether Council-sponsored rags are a cost-effective way to engage with the public.
“I hope councillors can consider ways in which they can support regional newspapers, radio stations and local businesses to convey official information more effectively and at a reasonable price.
“I welcome the standard set by Conservative-controlled Councils of rejecting taxpayer-funded rags and focussing resources on frontline services. I hope Councils run by other parties will reconsider their priorities.”
