More money spent on spin

11.28.18am GMT Sat 19th Dec 2009

Cllr Long says the Council should axe half the editions of the Arrow

Councillor Gary Long says that the Council wastes at least £½ million every year on spin. The last FOCUS reported on the waste of money on banners everywhere, but there is more, much more.

One major item of expense is The Arrow - the Council's expensive glossy magazine delivered to every house each month. This costs £½ million all by itself. The Liberal Democrats feel that the Arrow should come out every two months and should be printed on cheaper paper. It should also have useful information and not fluffy write ups saying how good the Council is at everything. This would save £245,000 each year.

Gary says "The Council should be giving us facts not spin, useful information not 'feel good' stories. Council tax payers should have their money spent in ways that help local people - not just to make people think the Council is better than they otherwise would."

There are other areas where the Council spends money on propaganda and not information. The Liberal Democrats would also reduce Corporate Marketing saving £130,000, Corporate Communications saving £75,000 and the Proud of Nottingham campaign (which includes the banners) saving £50,000.

Gary says "A lot of the Council 'marketing' is useful - telling people what is happening at leisure centres, libraries, parks and so on. But a lot of it isn't. We could easily save at least £500,000 and still keep folks better informed."