Council spending £9,000 a year on newspapers and magazines

Rochdale Borough Council

The Council has been asked if its expenditure on newspapers and magazines should be curtailed after it was revealed in a Freedom of Information response that the Council spent close to £9,000 on newspapers and magazines in 2016.

1. How much has Rochdale Council spent on newspapers in 2016?
Library Services - £7,848.81
Other Council areas - £351.59

2. How much has Rochdale Council spent on magazines in 2016?
Library Services - £640.00
Other Council areas - £116.00

3. How much has Rochdale Council spent on periodicals (journals, bulletins, reviews,
publications) in 2016?
Library Services - £90.00
Other Council areas - £0

Town centre hairdresser Greg Couzens, a former councillor, says the Council should stop expenditure such as this in light of the need to try and protect front line services from cuts.

Mr Couzens said: "With the magnitude of cuts being made within the local authority I believe a more prudent approach is necessary, spending of this nature on newspapers and magazines is astounding and irresponsible."

Councillor Richard Farnell, the leader of Rochdale Borough Council, said: "Is Mr Couzens seriously saying we should stop providing newspapers and magazines in our public libraries? Is this the latest Tory cut?

"Why is Mr Couzens forever complaining about council spending when he did nothing about this when he was a councillor in charge of finance?

"A library without newspapers is like a hairdressers without scissors."

Asked if with the scale of cuts being made within the local authority does the Council think it would be sensible to stop its spend on newspapers and magazines, a spokesman for the Council said: "There are no plans to do this."