‘Don’t waste our cash on publicity for councillors’

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Published on 04/03/2013 17:42

Opposition councillors say County Hall spin doctors have sent out 2,500 press releases about minor grants in less than three years and condemned the exercise as a waste of time and money.

Every politician at Herts County Council, which has a Tory majority, is given £10,000 a year to spend on community projects in their area.

They can divvy that up between organisations as they wish – but the Lib Dems say each donation, however small, leads to a press release from County Hall.

Councillor Stephen Giles-Medhurst, who heads the council’s Lib Dem opposition, said Tory self-promotion was behind the relentless releases.

He said: “We know virtually no-one reads them - why waste money producing them?”

But as Mr Giles-Medhurst spoke, the council’s press officers sent out two locality budget press releases about Tring Lib Dem councillor Nick Hollinghurst.

One detailed £500 he gave to Tring Stepping Stones Pre-School and the other reported that he had given £395 to the Hardings Wood Trust.

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‘Don’t waste our cash on publicity for councillors’

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