Ledbury Portal Community Forum

Herefordshire Council spends £361,800 a year on their Communications Department/ Press Office/ Propaganda Machine. They employ 7 people - the Head of Communications, 3 press officers, an internal communications officer and 2 graphic designers.

That lot produces a rather static website and not a lot of press releases - last count 5 press releases in the last 10 days. The Ledbury Portal produces more news than that with zero full time staff.

Recently other local media expressed criricism at the lack of information coming out of Herefordshire Council. If it's not good news, it's not news; it's propaganda.

And then there's their bimonthly magazine 'Herefordshire Matters'- more Council 'news' that most people just bin. It's a waste of paper that the Council heavily advertises in. That's advertising money that's being wasted, that could be going to other local independent media where it is desperately needed.

With the Comprehesive Spending Review round the corner, perhaps this council department needs severe trimming. Tax payers are paying for little more than pointless propaganda.