Pickles vows to crack down on “town hall propaganda”
The Communities Secretary has put forward proposals for more restrictive rules over the publication of council newspapers and magazines, claiming the existing code has been “too weak for too long”.
A consultation paper issued today said Eric Pickles had made it clear that the existing rules had resulted in taxpayers’ money being wasted and the free press undermined.
The Communities Secretary also warned commercial newspapers to expect less state advertising as more information is syndicated online for free. “At the same time the free press should not face competition from a local authority publication passing itself off as a newspaper,” the paper said.
The proposals include:
- Replacing the two separate circulars that currently set out the Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity in England
- Grouping the new guidance into seven principles that require local authority publicity to be lawful, cost effective, objective, even-handed, appropriate, to have regard to equality and diversity, and be issued with care during periods of heightened sensitivity
- A requirement that local authority newspapers and magazines “must not appear more than once a quarter, must only include material that is directly related to the business, services or amenities of the authority or other local service providers and should be clearly marked as being published by the local authority”. These provisions would extend to web-based editions of publications
- Prohibiting the use of lobbyists
- Banning local authorities from having stalls at party conferences with the aim of lobbying central government. “It may be legitimate for a local authority to have a stall promoting a particular service, such as a conference centre, just as it would at a trade show.”
Eric Pickles said: "An independent local press is an essential part of our open democracy helping local people scrutinise and hold elected councillors to account."
The minister added: "The rules around council publicity have been too weak for too long, allowing public money to be spent on frivolous town hall propaganda papers that have left many local newspapers looking over the abyss – weakening our free press – or to use 'hired-gun' lobbyists that operate in the shadows to bulldoze special interests through.
"The proposals I am publishing will close off these inappropriate practices and make sure that councils focus taxpayers' money on where it should be spent – protecting frontline services."
A copy of the consultation paper and the draft code can be downloaded here. Responses must be submitted by 10 November.
