Council launches ‘town hall Pravda’

Herefordshire Council has been blasted for wasting taxpayers’ money on publishing its own ‘town hall Pravda’.

Chief executive Alistair Neill took the decision to launch the quarterly news publication, which the council says is non-political, after advice from a corporate peer challenge.

But former council leader and current Libdem group leader Terry James criticised the decision which will cost £499 for the first issue of the 12-page magazine.

“The public don’t want taxpayers’ money spent on propaganda,” he said.

“It is interesting their doing it in the run up to an election. They are spending public money on electioneering.”

The move follows a recent decision to axe the county’s bus timetable booklet which council chiefs deemed not to be value for money.

It’s Our County group leader Anthony Powers also said: “With elections due next spring the launch of this new version looks like blatant propaganda on behalf of the Conservative administration: pictures of cabinet members and plenty of spin and half-truths may even remind older readers of Soviet-era official publications such as Pravda.”

Conservative council leader Jonathan Lester said his group approved of the new magazine.

“We hope that the new publication will be welcomed in improving the transparency of local democracy and increase interest from individuals and groups to help deliver the kind of prosperous, caring county that we all want to live in,” he said.

Indepedents leader Bob Matthews said his group welcomed any form of communication that keeps the taxpayer better informed but that they would closely monitor the magazine’s content.

Green Party group leader Trish Marsh said the idea was good in principle, providing it kept residents up to speed on the council’s work.

Free printed copies can be found at libraries and council offices and on their website.