Council newspaper

04.01.10

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04.01.10

Dear L Barnett

Subject: Freedom of Information - Legal and Corporate Services -
Litigation

I refer to the request, which you have made under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 for records held by this department/office.

Acknowledgement

Your request dated 03/01/10 was received by this department on 04/01/10.
Please contact telephone number 0191 433 2192 should you have any
questions or concerns about your request.

A final decision on your request would normally be sent to you within 20
working days of receipt of your request. This means that you can expect
to receive your decision by 01/02/10.

There are some limited situations under the Freedom of Information Act,
which could mean that the period for a final decision may be longer than
the normal 20 working days. If this occurs in your request, we will
promptly advise you in writing.

Should our final decision not reach you on time, please feel free to
call the contact officer named above to discuss any problems that may
have arisen.

Non reply by us deemed to be a refusal

If you have not heard from us once the allotted time has expired, you
are automatically entitled to appeal to this department for a review of
the matter. This review is a full and new examination of the matter ,
and is carried out by a more senior member of staff of this
department/office.

In the event that you need to make such an appeal, you can do so by
writing to Tanya Rossington of this department/office at the address
given below. You should state that you are appealing because an initial
decision was not sent to you within the time permitted. In that event,
you would normally have 40 days (after the original decision should have
been sent to you) in which time to make the appeal.

Yours sincerely

Information Rights Officer

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25.01.10

Dear L Barnett

Subject: Freedom of Information - Legal and Corporate Services - Litigation

I refer to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and to your e-mail to this department/office dated 03.01.10.

In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, we have formally decided to grant access to the records available and accordingly they are as follows:

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)

Council News, 6 issues a year (reducing to 4 issues a year for 2010-11), distribution to all households and council outlets.

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

2008/09 -£176,685 this figure includes design, print, distribution to all households and council outlets and different formats to regular mailing list of visually impaired residents (ie braille, large print, mp3/cd/cassettes). We are unable to provide the budgeted amount for just the Council News as this was included within other budget costs but it is anticipated that it will be approximately the same.

3. How much of that cost is offset by advertising

Advertising revenue generated = £20,580

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

£15,940

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

NHS / PTC / Northumbria Police Authority

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

None exists

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

None exists

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

Two staff members co-ordinate the magazine as part of their role within the communications team. They are not employed solely to do the magazine - also responsible for other publications/publicity needs of the council. An average of around 40% of their time is spent on the publication - the rest of the time is spent doing a variety of publication-led material for a wide range of council services.

The information provided in response to your request is copyright Gateshead Council unless otherwise endorsed. Granting access to this information under the Freedom of Information Act does not permit you to re-use the information provided for commercial purposes, for photocopying or reproduction in any form. If you wish to re-use the information you need to apply for a Licence. You can do this on line at
http://online.gateshead.gov.uk/atoz/Subm... or by writing to the Information Rights Officer, Legal and Corporate Services, 1st Floor, Civic Centre, Regent Street, Gateshead, NE8 1HH. You may be required to pay a fee or comply with conditions for permitted re-use.

Should you have any queries regarding the contents of this e-mail, please contact the Information Rights Officer.

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