Agenda item

To consider the recommendation of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee following its review of the Tewkesbury Borough News.  

1.      That two magazine editions of Tewkesbury Borough News be published per year with a one-flick PDF online version placed in a prominent position on the Council’s website.

2.      That the Head of Corporate Services be authorised:

a.   to enter into a contract with Wychavon District Council for a 12 month trial period and to waive the Council’s Contract Procedure Rules accordingly;

b.   to engage with Parish Councils which do not currently submit news articles; and

c.   to seek to work to maximise advertising income.

50.1           The report of the Chair of the Tewkesbury Borough News Review Working Group, circulated at Pages No. 54-73, set out the final recommendations of the Working Group following its review of the Borough News. Members were advised that the report had been considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Executive Committee was now asked to agree the recommendations from that meeting.

50.2           The Overview and Scrutiny Committee Chair explained that, in 2016, a Member workshop had been held to gain feedback on corporate communications. As part of that workshop, the Tewkesbury Borough News had been discussed in detail including its cost, quality, regularity of production and format; however, no formal conclusions had been reached. Given the extent of the discussion, and the high profile nature of the newspaper, it was agreed that a formal review of the newspaper was needed and that an Overview and Scrutiny Committee Working Group could undertake that work. The Terms of Reference of the Group were set out at Appendix 1 to the report and during June and July it had met over three sessions, the details of which were attached to the report at Appendix 2. The report and final recommendations of the Working Group had been presented to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee in September and that Committee had recommended to Executive Committee that it approve the findings as set out at Page No. 54 of the report.

50.3           During the discussion which ensued, a Member expressed the view that the Borough News was a fantastic tool for relaying waste and recycling matters to residents. There was a constant need to re-educate and the Borough News offered a way to do this which was relatively inexpensive to the Council. For this reason, he would not like to see it reduced to less than two editions per year. In response, the Chair of the Working Group advised that, in the new format, he felt it would be used by more people as it would have more value as a publication. Increasingly residents were looking for information online and the new publication would be in a more prominent position on the Council’s website to make it more user-friendly. Another Member expressed concern about changing the current format of the Borough News as it was something that many residents liked very much. He could not see that any fundamental benefits had been identified to support a change from a newspaper distributed three times a year to a bi-annual magazine and he felt the original objective to save money had not really been achieved. He was of the view that, to change the current well regarded brand would not be sensible and he felt that regularity of communication was key to ensuring residents knew what the Council was doing on their behalf within the Borough. In offering an alternative view, a Member felt the advantage of a magazine format was that people would be more likely to retain it which would also have the hidden benefit of residents not needing to contact Customer Services for information. In addition, she was of the view that it would look more professional in a magazine format which, in terms of reputation, would be great for the Council.

50.4           The Working Group Chair reassured Members that his Group had fully considered all matters and he thanked those Members for their dedication in attending the meetings. Particular consideration had been given to whether it was better to have two or three editions per year but it had been agreed that the third edition was largely redundant anyway. The Notes of those meetings were available should Members wish to see them and they showed the detailed financial information which had been discussed and which had helped the Group reach its recommendations. In terms of the pros and cons of a newspaper format vs a magazine format, a Member drew attention to Page No. 64 which set those out in detail. It was felt that, as the recommendation was for a 12 month trial period, there would be scope to review the new arrangements prior to making any permanent decisions and, accordingly, it was