Council newspaper

L Barnett made this Freedom of Information request to North Dorset District Council

The request was successful.

From: L Barnett

3 January 2010

Dear North Dorset District Council,

Under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act, I wish to
receive the following information from your authority:

1. The name, frequency and distribution/circulation of your council
newspaper (by council newspaper I mean the most frequently
published newspaper or magazine intended for mass distribution
covering more than one topic)

2. How much it cost to produce and distribute said newspaper in the
last full financial year, and how much was budgeted from council
resources in the financial year 2009/2010

3. How much of that cost is offset by advertising

4. How much of that advertising, if any, comes from external
sources (ie not from your authority's budgets)?

5. Which other public sector partners pay to run advertising in
your newspaper, eg PCTs?

6. Whether recruitment advertising forms part of the advertising in
your newspaper?

7. A copy of an editorial policy guide, if one exists, which
governs the material which is placed in the newspaper, and how it
is decided

8. A copy of an advertising policy guide, if one exists, which
governs what sort of advertising is suitable.

9. The number of people employed to put your newspaper/newsletter
together, including total cost and staff organisation chart

Some parts of this request may be easier to answer than others, and
should this prove to be the case I would ask that you release
available data as soon as possible rather than hold up the entire
request.

I would prefer to receive this information electronically. If the
decision is made to withhold some of this data using exemptions in
Act, please inform me of that fact and cite the exemptions used.

If you need any clarification then please contact me at the email.
Under your section 16 duty to provide advice and assistance I would
expect you to contact me if you find this request unmanageable in
any way.

I would be grateful if you could confirm in writing that you have
received this request, and I look forward to hearing from you in
the near future.

Yours faithfully,

L Barnett

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From: Peter Hyde
North Dorset District Council

18 January 2010

Dear L Barnett

Here is the response from North Dorset District Council to your FOI
request dated 3 January 2010.

1. The name, frequency and distribution/circulation of your council

newspaper (by council newspaper I mean the most frequently

published newspaper or magazine intended for mass distribution

covering more than one topic)

Open Line, twice a year to 29,000 households in North Dorset

2. How much it cost to produce and distribute said newspaper in the

last full financial year, and how much was budgeted from council

resources in the financial year 2009/2010

Each edition of Open Line is:

Written, edited and designed in house by two council employees, estimated
cost £684;

Print cost £1862;

Distribution cost £2028;

Total cost 2008/09 £9148 (2 editions).

Budget for Open Line £10,000.

3. How much of that cost is offset by advertising?

£1428 advertising income received in 2008/09

4. How much of that advertising, if any, comes from external

sources (ie not from your authority's budgets)?

All from external sources.

5. Which other public sector partners pay to run advertising in

your newspaper, eg PCTs?

None.

6. Whether recruitment advertising forms part of the advertising in

your newspaper?

Recruitment advertising is not included.

7. A copy of an editorial policy guide, if one exists, which

governs the material which is placed in the newspaper, and how it

is decided.

Editorial content decided by an Editorial Board made up of the leaders of
the three political parties represented at the Council, the Chief
Executive and the Communications Manager.

8. A copy of an advertising policy guide, if one exists, which

governs what sort of advertising is suitable.

No formal policy but all advertisements have to adhere to the old
advertising code of being: legal, decent honest and truthful.
Advertisements can be vetoed by the editorial board.

9. The number of people employed to put your newspaper/newsletter

together, including total cost and staff organisation chart

Two employees:

Communications Manager who writes, edits and controls production of Open
Line.

Reprographics Officer who creates pages and undertakes pre-press work for
Open Line.

Peter Hyde

Communications Manager

North Dorset District Council

01258 484100

www.north-dorset.gov.uk

The views expressed above are personal unless stated otherwise. NDDC is
not liable for any consequences of accessing this electronic transmission.

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