By Vivienne Russell | 9 April 2013
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles is consulting on measures to curb what he calls ‘political propaganda’ by English councils, including the publication of weekly newspapers and hiring of lobbyists.
Pickles said he was concerned by a rogue number of councils that continue to flout the code of practice on local authority publicity. He intends to bring in legislation that would allow him as secretary of state to order councils to stop, for example, advertising campaigns deemed to be politically contentious, weekly production of municipal newspapers and the recruitment of political consultants.
He said: ‘Some councils are undermining the free press and wasting taxpayers’ money which should be spent carefully on the front line services that make a real difference to quality of life. It should not, under any circumstances, be used to fund political propaganda and town hall Pravdas and yet a hardcore minority of councils continue to ignore the rules despite public concern.
‘The line in the sand is clear – publicity material straying into propaganda clearly crosses that line, and this legislation will stop this disgraceful misuse of public money, which damages local democracy and threatens an independent, free and vibrant local press.’
The consultation, called Protecting the independent press from unfair competition, proposes that any councils singled out for action would be given an appropriate period of notice and the opportunity to make representations to the secretary of state. It seeks views on the proposed changes and suggested alternatives. The consultation runs until May 6.
