| Topic: | Re:Around Ealing - 'Money-Wasting Propaganda Sheet' | |
| Posted by: | Simon Hayes | |
| Date/Time: | 21/02/19 16:16:00 |
| Around 13 years ago the then Labour administration promised that this magazine would be funded by advertising revenue. That was in those pre-financial crisis days when there was money for everything. Clearly that has never happened either under the Tories when they were in charge or under Julian Bell. What I am trying to establish is why the council thinks it is still ok to subsidise the magazine when on its very pages Mr Bell tells us time and time again that cuts have to be made. Makes no sense. If this was a privately published magazine operating at this level of losses it would have been closed down years ago. There is also the fact that everything within it is presented with a positive spin for the council. Mr Bell bashes the Tories every issue. Under guidelines from the Department for Communities and Local Government such publications should be balanced and even handed. However, there is no opposing view presented on any issue. Not everyone in Ealing voted Labour and many disagree with this administration’s policies. They have no publicly funded outlet in which to be heard. Take the controversial changes to CPZ charges. Not a whiff of a mention prior to the passing of the policy by the Council, then a double page spread in the autumn pushing the Council’s agenda. What was ignored were the 2,800 people who signed a petition against the policy. Of course, their opinion matters not as it differs from the geniuses sitting in the Town Hall. Compare Ealing to Hounslow. Both Labour run. Hounslow produce four issues per year of its Hounslow Matters magazine. There is no political posturing from its leader Steve Curran, just a relaying of information relevant to residents. Thus there is no need to have balancing responses. We should all be worried about this. There is no local print media examining issues that directly affect the residents of our borough- library closures, parking charge rises, planning decisions, etc - all proceed untroubled by public examination. That’s not democracy folks. |