The Beacon

Ken Moss · 10-11-2010, 08:08

I personally don't agree with it as it doesn't tell the public anything they don't already know from the popular press and from glancing through it you wouldn't think that the Labour and Independent councillors do anything at all in the borough.

Still, it's your tax money and I think you deserve to know that the production costs for the Autumn 2010 edition of the Beacon were £2,018. Hyndburn Borough Council's own staff distributed them and these costs were £500 making a grand total of £2,518.

Nice that they got it out to the public in time for the Baxenden bye-election though.

garinda · 10-11-2010, 08:15

I did post, after retrieving it from the recycling sack, that it wasn't as bad as I'd thought it'd be, and was better than the similar paper from L.C.C.

Is it worth those cost, to me?

No.

There are cheaper ways useful information can be obtained, and all the feel good articles, telling us how good our council is, will be picked up by the real press. If indeed such 'stories' are deemed newsworthy.

Mick · 10-11-2010, 08:19

Sorry Ken never seen a copy

Ken Moss · 10-11-2010, 08:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by mick

Sorry Ken never seen a copy

Obviously not got a key election looming in your neck of the woods....

Baxenden got theirs first I believe, Rishton's only remaining Tory councillor is up in the local elections next year. There'll be a lot of perceived electioneering going on in the next six months I expect.

I went to see Cllr Britcliffe last week to lobby for some money for a new heating system for the Rishton Scouts and was told that there was no money in the borough for that sort of thing and they'd have to apply for a grant, with helpful hints as to where I might suggest to the Scout Leader. Lo and behold, five days later Cllr Horne had managed to secure the money from the Leader of the Council.

The Scouts have their money and will be warm for winter which is all that really matters but it gives you an insight into how impossible things are if you're wearing the wrong coloured badge.

The needs of the residents are secondary to a photo in the paper.

Neil · 10-11-2010, 08:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken Moss

Still, it's your tax money and I think you deserve to know that the production costs for the Autumn 2010 edition of the Beacon were £2,018. Hyndburn Borough Council's own staff distributed them and these costs were £500 making a grand total of £2,518.

£500 sounds cheap for delivery. How did they come up with that figure please? Does it include staff time?

Quote:

Originally Posted by garinda

There are cheaper ways useful information can be obtained

£2,518 to supply 30,000 or more houses with a copy is not expensive. Its just over 8p per house. How else could they supply the information for less money?

Neil · 10-11-2010, 08:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken Moss

Obviously not got a key election looming in your neck of the woods....

Baxenden got theirs first I believe, Rishton's only remaining Tory councillor is up in the local elections next year. There'll be a lot of perceived electioneering going on in the next six months I expect.

I went to see Cllr Britcliffe last week to lobby for some money for a new heating system for the Rishton Scouts and was told that there was no money in the borough for that sort of thing and they'd have to apply for a grant, with helpful hints as to where I might suggest to the Scout Leader. Lo and behold, five days later Cllr Horne had managed to secure the money from the Leader of the Council.

The Scouts have their money and will be warm for winter which is all that really matters but it gives you an insight into how impossible things are if you're wearing the wrong coloured badge.

The needs of the residents are secondary to a photo in the paper.

Sounds like the political games played by all politicians. Lets see how Labour do it differently the next time they are in control.

Mick · 10-11-2010, 08:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil

£2,518 to supply 30,000 or more houses with a copy is not expensive. Its just over 8p per house. How else could they supply the information for less money?

Er post it on Accyweb

Ken Moss · 10-11-2010, 08:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil

£500 sounds cheap for delivery. How did they come up with that figure please? Does it include staff time?

£2,518 to supply 30,000 or more houses with a copy is not expensive. Its just over 8p per house. How else could they supply the information for less money?

I'm not privy to the exact details although I saw someone with a bag delivering them in Rishton so I assume it was a mail drop.

Although it isn't expensive per household it was a very biased publication and I suspect went straight in the recycling bag of the majority of residents.

£2,518 would have been better spent in Rishton (as an example) on planting up the rose bed with new plants after Parks and Open Spaces have had their money cut, with the remainder going on some kissing gates to stop horse riders churning up the park.

To my mind, any actual physical improvements to wards are better use of money than self-aggrandising literature of any kind and you will find my attitude remains much the same when there is a shift in control.

garinda · 10-11-2010, 08:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil

£2,518 to supply 30,000 or more houses with a copy is not expensive. Its just over 8p per house. How else could they supply the information for less money?

Well seeing as not everyone in the borough will want or need any useful information, those that do could find that information on the council's website, on other literature that's sent to residents, such as council tax bills, and that's besides people having access to council buildings such as libraries etc, or even the phone book.

Thus the cost would be zero, because those costs are already covered. Not an extra £2,518.00.

garinda · 10-11-2010, 08:52

Oh, and those lovely calendars, that some of us are lucky enough to receive.

They have useful information on them, as well as the pretty pictures.

garinda · 10-11-2010, 08:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil

£2,518 to supply 30,000 or more houses with a copy is not expensive. Its just over 8p per house. How else could they supply the information for less money?

As has already been posted.

A vast number of people put anything that's posted unsolicited through their letterbox, straight into the recycling sack.

I did.

I only retrieved it so I felt more able to comment on it.

gynn · 10-11-2010, 09:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken Moss

it gives you an insight into how impossible things are if you're wearing the wrong coloured badge.

The needs of the residents are secondary to a photo in the paper.

As a Rishton Councillor, you will be on the committee of the Rishton Charities. They are completely non political, and are a valuable source of money for needy causes in the town. I remember the late Peter Monk running them with a rod of iron!

garinda · 10-11-2010, 09:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken Moss

To my mind, any actual physical improvements to wards are better use of money than self-aggrandising literature of any kind and you will find my attitude remains much the same when there is a shift in control.

In all honesty, it did read like a vanity publication.

'Aren't we good'.

Nothing wrong with that, if it didn't cost us anything, and the money couldn't be better spent in a thousand different ways in Hyndburn.

Again, as posted earlier, any real stories, regarding the good work the council does, would make it into the local newspapers, if they are of any real news interest.

Neil · 10-11-2010, 09:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by garinda

Well seeing as not everyone in the borough will want or need any useful information, those that do could find that information on the council's website, on other literature that's sent to residents, such as council tax bills, and that's besides people having access to council buildings such as libraries etc, or even the phone book.

Thus the cost would be zero, because those costs are already covered. Not an extra £2,518.00.

No it would not be zero because both of those methods cost money. Postage would be high for the council tax bills with that much extra paper in it.

jaysay · 10-11-2010, 09:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken Moss

I personally don't agree with it as it doesn't tell the public anything they don't already know from the popular press and from glancing through it you wouldn't think that the Labour and Independent councillors do anything at all in the borough.

Still, it's your tax money and I think you deserve to know that the production costs for the Autumn 2010 edition of the Beacon were £2,018. Hyndburn Borough Council's own staff distributed them and these costs were £500 making a grand total of £2,518.

Nice that they got it out to the public in time for the Baxenden bye-election though.

So we can take it that it will be scrapped if Labour get into power then Ken, bet you a penny stick of spanish it ain't