Council doubles output of newspaper, one week after The Londoner is scrapped
A second May edition of the council’s free newspaper landed on Shepherd’s Bush and Hammersmith doormats last week as the paper turned from a monthly publication into a fortnightly one.
The extra edition of H&F News came out just over a week after Boris Johnson announced the scrapping of The Londoner, saving the capital nearly three million pounds, according to a statement from the Mayor’s office.
In Hammersmith and Fulham, Council Leader, Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh, insisted that borough residents would not be footing the bill for the extra output: "It is not costing the taxpayer any more to make H&F News fortnightly as the extra cost is being met by ever-increasing advertising sales,” he said.
But Shepherd's Bush MP Andy Slaughter cast doubt on this: “The true costs of this are huge and concealed,” he said. “This is wasteful, dishonest and anti-competitive. What business does a council have publishing a newspaper?”
Mr Greenhalgh said the council had to keep residents informed: “It is not just about saving money. It is also about being smarter in the way we communicate, ensuring that our residents are aware of what services they are getting for their money.”
In neighbouring boroughs, council newspapers are published far less frequently: ‘Around Ealing’ appears monthly, ‘Arcadia’ magazine, produced by Richmond council, is published four times a year and Kensington and Chelsea’s newspaper comes out every other month. RBK&C also has an online news magazine, which residents can subscribe to.
One Ravenscourt Park resident questioned the need for a fortnightly publication in Hammersmith and Fulham: “I don't have a particular beef about it, but on balance I think it (H&F’s newspaper) may be devalued if it appears too often,” she said.
“I never read the H&F newspaper - it goes straight into the recycling! I find it a complete waste of time,” said a Brook Green resident.
Boris Johnson has pledged to spend some of the money saved from the scrapping of The Londoner on planting 10,000 new street trees - a move praised as “courageous” by Hammersmith and Fulham MP, Greg Hands, in his weekly news bulletin.
While H&F’s decision to double the output of its free newspaper - delivered to 87,000 homes - appears out of step with the Mayor’s green initiatives, the former West Central candidate for the Green Party said she was not overly concerned by the move:
“In an ideal world it would be great if people could get their information from websites,” Julia Stephenson said. “But most newspapers are made from 70% recycled paper anyway. It’s quite good to have access to local news, as long as people enjoy reading it and recycle it afterwards.”
LBHF figures show that over 61,000 tonnes of domestic waste was collected in the borough in 2006-7, only 22 per cent of which was recycled or composted.
“The best way of managing our waste is not to produce it in the first place,” says Waste Online, which is part of the environmental charity, Waste Watch. The charity says paper can only be recycled up to six times before it has to be discarded.
Last year, borough residents called for an end to the litter problem created by free leaflets, newspapers, and advertising and since January 2008, anyone distributing free literature in designated parts of the borough has had to gain permission from the council or pay a fine of up to £2,500.
A council spokesman said: “That’s aimed at people handing out leaflets in the streets. H&F News goes through people’s letter boxes.”
Yasmine Estaphanos
26 May 2008
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