Lambeth Life 'full of propaganda'

Thursday, 18 February 2010

By Nadia Gilani

A TOWN hall’s “propaganda” sheet sought free advice from an international advertising agency on ways to make itself more appealing to the public.

Staff from Lambeth council’s fortnightly title, Lambeth Life, met with top advisers at blue chip firm Ogilvy to find out how to convince the public the title was the “council’s critical friend”.

The meeting took place in Brixton this month at one of a series of free workshops held to advise local businesses and community groups on how to best promote themselves.

Lambeth Life editor Ella Cope booked in for an hour with the experts at the Idea Shop in Brixton Village in Atlantic Road.

Ogilvy’s Ruth Jamieson told the South London Press: “Lambeth Life came to us with aims to be seen as the ‘council’s critical friend’.

“We talked about ways to get the community to contribute to the paper.

“We suggested introducing a ‘big moan letter’ to give the letters page more bite, getting guest editors from the community, and asking local bloggers if they would like a column.”

The Labour council’s publication cost £530,677 to produce in 2008-09 – a figure opposition councillors claim is unjustified.

Print, production and distribution costs were £379,665 and staffing £151,012.

The council said the financial burden to the taxpayer was offset by advertising revenue of £258,292, although many adverts in the title are from bodies funded by public cash such as the NHS and the authority itself.

Both Liberal Democrat and Conservative opposition councillors said they would axe the publication if they won the May election.

Lib Dem Councillor Jeremy Clyne said: “I’m amazed that the council PR machine should go seeking advice intended for small local groups and businesses.

“It’s full of propaganda. Now they want to compete more directly for attention and advertising with our independent newspapers, which are vital for a free-functioning local democracy.”

Conservative leader Cllr John Whelan said: “The idea that it wants to be the ‘council’s critical friend’ is laughable.

“The council should place adverts in local newspapers such as the South London Press.

“By having their own newspaper, they are killing off local newspapers, which are the lifeblood of the community. They are the critical friends we need.”

A council spokeswoman said: “We are constantly looking at ways in which we can improve the newspaper.

“When the opportunity to take part in a free workshop from a leading advertising agency came up, we took it.

“There were good ideas, some more workable than others and we are still considering as we are always looking for ways to engage the community in the paper.”

Email: nadia.gilani@slp.co.uk

For the full story, you can get a full online edition at www.slp-e-edition.co.uk

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4 comments on this news item

Posted by : Bob, Brixton Hill | Sunday 21/Feb/2010 | Report this comment

This isnt much of a story really - council seeks advice frome experts on how to make publication better; its what any company/organisation would do.

Lambeth Life in the scheme of things costs very little and provides useful information that the council has a duty to tell residents about. if they didnt have Lambeth Life they would have to have another publication which would probably cost as much

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Posted by : Simon, Lambeth | Sunday 21/Feb/2010 | Report this comment

Opposition councillors always moan about the cost of publications and say they will cancel them but then when elected suddenly find that they are quite useful. Just look on the internet for comments made by Labour opposition politicans prior to the 2006 election about the cost of Lambeth Life.

I actually find it be useful and informative

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Posted by : rita grootendorst, south london | Saturday 20/Feb/2010 | Report this comment

councils are squandering money on such spind-sheets and any pet projects they fancy. Cameron has already granted localism to councils, ie, each council will become an accountability-free territory where councils will be lords and masters, an ongoing nightmare of over-taxation without representation. These ’free’ PR for council news are paid for by our taxes and are the tip of the iceberg.

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