Council newspaper

Dear Sir/Madam

Thank you for your FOI request, which we received today, 4 January.

It has been forwarded to the relevant officer for processing within 20
working days of receipt and you may be contacted again if we require any
further information.

Yours faithfully

Pat Banner
Legal Services
Rushmoor Borough Council
Farnborough Road
Farnborough
Hants
GU14 7JU

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Rushmoor Borough Council
http://www.rushmoor.gov.uk

Dear L. Barnett,

Thank you for your FOI request. Here is the information you required:

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)

We produce a council magazine. It is called Arena and comes out six times a year. It is distributed to all households in Rushmoor - about 38,000.

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

£54,367.75 last year. Budget for 2009/10 is £50,000.

3. How much of that cost is offset by advertising

None. We employ a third party to produce it. They sell three pages of advertising, the revenue for which offsets their costs. They give us a set price.

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

It comes from external sources, rather than internal budgets.

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

Local sixth form college and tech college advertise occasionally.

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

No.

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

We don't have a formal editorial policy. Stories come as ideas from within the council and from our partners. We then meet with the company that produces Arena and agree stories.

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

We don't have a formal advertising policy.

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

The magazine is put together externally. It is written, designed and printed by a third party, the costs of which come within the contract.

I hope that this answers your question satisfactorily, but if you are unhappy with the reply you have received, I attach a link to the Council's Complaints Procedure, which is the means by which you may request the Council to review it.

http://eforms.rushmoor.gov.uk/AF3/an/def...

Alternatively a printed copy of the Comments and Complaints Leaflet is available if you wish.

If, following a review you are still dissatisfied, you can ask the Information Commissioner to decide whether your request for information has been dealt with in accordance with the legislation. The address is:

FOI/EIR Complaints Resolution
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Tel: 01625 545 745
08456 30 60 60
Fax: 01625 524 510

An online complaints form is available on the ICO website at www.ico.gov.uk

Yours faithfully/sincerely

Gill Chisnall

Gill Chisnall
Corporate Communications Manager
Rushmoor Borough Council
www.rushmoor.gov.uk
Direct line (01252) 398744

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