Original by Sharon Harris, Barry&DistrictNews - http://www.barryanddistrictnews.co.uk/news/15031038.Vale_of_Glamorgan_C…
THE Vale of Glamorgan Council has defended spending more than £54,000 on sending leaflets and bulletins since 2013.
A freedom of information request by the Welsh Conservative group revealed that the Vale council spent £54,506 since 2013, £13,604 in the year 2013/14; £20,774 in the year 2014/15; £14,297 in 2015/16 and £5,831 this year to date.
The FOI, overall, revealed Welsh councils had spent more than £1.6 million on council bulletins and newsletters since 2013/14.
Shadow local government secretary, Janet Finch-Saunders, called for councils to “focus their resources on providing regular bin collections” and other frontline services.
Mrs Finch-Saunders said: “Substantial sums are being spent by many Welsh councils on town hall propaganda, and taxpayers will rightly question why their hard earned cash is being spent on junk mail at a time when many frontline services are being cut.
“Councils should focus their resources on providing regular bin collections and on maintaining the standard of local roads.
“We would urge Welsh councils to follow the lead of authorities like Monmouthshire, who have scrapped costly newsletters – and instead take advantage of the technology at their disposal to communicate with their constituents for free.”
A Vale of Glamorgan council spokesman said: “The figure relates to the cost of producing various council publications over a three-year period and is lower than the majority of other local authorities surveyed as part of the study. Distributing information about council services in print form is often necessary to reach some of the Vale’s most vulnerable residents, particularly the elderly.
“The Herald magazine, produced for older people in the county, provides vital information about support and services available, while similar publications are produced for carers within the community.
“A newsletter informing parents of their pupils’ school dinner menu options has also been produced in previous years, but this information will now only be available on the council and schools’ websites, reducing costs. Similarly, many other council communications are now sent out electronically, meaning no money is spent on printing them.”