The Audit Commission has said that councils need to review the value for money of their spending on magazines and newspapers. Liberal Democrats in North Yorkshire fully support the Commission’s findings and will ask the Tory County Council bosses to do this.

In a report published last weekend, the independent body said that “councils need to assure themselves of the quality of their communications and the value of their communication spending.”

North Yorkshire spends £500,000 a year on a monthly newspaper, the “North Yorkshire Times”. This is well above the national average, which is around £68,000. Only 14% of councils put out newspapers or magazines 10 or more times a year.

Knaresborough Councillor Bill Hoult, Leader of the Liberal Democrats at County Hall, comments:

“The Audit Commission is right to call for a review of the value of council newspapers.”

“North Yorkshire’s spending on its newspaper is way out of step with most of the country.”

“In a time of recession, the Tories need to be asking serious questions about whether we can afford this.”