Birmingham City Council's Forward newspaper faces axe
In Doncaster the new Mayor Peter Davies saved £67,000 from his budget by scrapping the newspaper of which he said: “It is simply council propaganda and an exercise in distorting unpalatable truths.”
The trend is not all one way as North East Lincolnshire Council has diverted all advertising from mainstream newspapers to its monthly Linc Up title. Newspaper publishers have voiced concerns that public money is being spent on rivals to their titles – placing many at risk. Birmingham council’s newspaper has not escaped controversy.
Last year seven photographs of the council’s Tory leader Mike Whitby appeared on the first eight pages in one edition, prompting complaints from the Labour opposition, whose own budget article had been rejected from the publication.
It was also criticised for publishing mortgages and loan adverts aimed at sub-prime borrowers and admitted they had slipped through the net.
The print and distribution contract with Trinity Mirror ended in June and the council put the publication on hold.
