Council newspapers

L Barnett made this Freedom of Information request to Blackpool Borough Council

The request was successful.

From: L Barnett

3 January 2010

Dear Blackpool Borough 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

Link to this

From: Customer First
Blackpool Borough Council

4 January 2010

Dear Sir/Madam

Thank you for your email dated...3rd January 2010

So that we can deal with your enquiry, your email has been sent to: -

Department: Freedom Of Information Officer

This Department will now deal with your enquiry.

If you have any further queries, please contact Customer First by:-

Email [Blackpool Borough Council request email]
Telephone 01253 477477
Facsimile 01253 478808
Web site www.blackpool.gov.uk

Or visit the Customer First Centre on Corporation Street Blackpool FY1
1NA.

We are open:-
Monday to Friday 8am to 5:30pm for Face to Face enquiries
Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm for telephone enquiries on 01253 477477.
Saturdays 9am to 2pm for Face to Face and Telephone enquiries

Please note our busiest times are Mondays and Fridays and over lunchtime
(12pm to 2pm).

show quoted sections

Link to this

From: Jenny Bollington
Blackpool Borough Council

21 January 2010

L Barrett Our Ref: 009/JB/LB/F3

Your Ref:

Direct Line: 01253 477192

E-mail: [email address]

Date: 21 January 2009

Dear L Barrett

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 - INFORMATION REQUEST

I am writing to confirm that we have now completed our search for
the information you requested on 10 December 2009.

A copy of the information is below.

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)

Blackpool Council's community newspaper, produced in
partnership with Blackpool NHS and Lancashire Constabulary is
distributed to 70,000 properties four times a year.

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

Net expenditure in 2008/09 - £62,984.22
Budgeted from council resources in 2009/10 - £32,400

3. How much of that cost is offset by advertising

Your Blackpool does not carry adverts but editorial space is
bought by public sector partners and council services.

£43,549 of editorial space was sold in 2009/09 to public sector
partners and council services.

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

£36,993 from public sector partners.

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

Your Blackpool is a publication funded and produced by Blackpool
Council, NHS Blackpool and Lancashire Constabulary.

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.

An editiorial policy guide does not exist

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

An advertising policy guide does not exist

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

No members of staff are employed solely to work on the
newspaper.
Three members of staff produce copy and photographic images for
the paper as part of their wider roles.

Design is done by Johnston Press

If you have a complaint about the handling of your request you may
ask for an internal review and you should submit this in writing
to: Council Complaint, Blackpool Council, PO Box 50, Town Hall,
Blackpool, FY1 1NA.

If you are not happy with the outcome of the review, you have the right to
apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. You can
contact the Information Commissioner at: Information Commissioner's
Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF,
([1]www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk).

If you have any queries about this letter you can contact me, or write to:
FOI, Town Hall, Blackpool, FY1 1NA, or email us at
[2][Blackpool Borough Council request email]. Please remember to quote your
reference number when you contact us.

Yours sincerely

Jennifer Bollington

Communications Officer

Blackpool Council

Jenny Bollington

Communications Officer
Blackpool Council
Tel - (01253) 477192
Fax - (01253) 477126
Email - [email address]

[3]http://www.blackpool.gov.uk/EmailDisclai...
This message has been scanned for inappropriate or malicious content as
part of the Council's e-mail and Internet policies.

******************************************************************************
See the Blackpool You Tube video aimed at attracting French visitors by
clicking this link [4]http://www.visitblackpool.com/jetaime

******************************************************************************

References

Visible links
1. http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk/
2. mailto:[Blackpool Borough Council request email]
3. http://www.blackpool.gov.uk/EmailDisclai...
4. http://www.visitblackpool.com/jetaime

Link to this

Things to do with this request

Anyone:
Blackpool Borough Council only: