Magazines cost Sussex councils thousands of pounds (From The Argus)
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Magazines cost Sussex councils thousands of pounds
2:40pm Monday 18th March 2013 in News By Neil Vowles
The Business Continuity Journal, Farmers Weekly and Photoworks magazine may not be flying off the shelves in every high street.
But all have been deemed essential reading for council officials as local authorities spend tens of thousands of pounds on subscriptions to publications.
Brighton and Hove City Council spends a minimum of £10,000 a year on subscriptions to magazines and newspapers with annual expenditure including £2,054 a year on the Local Government Chronicle and £1,190 to Encyclopedia of Planning Law and Practice.
West Sussex County Council spends more than £7,000 on subscriptions to local newspapers and journals a year.
Expenditure includes £1,575 a year on property magazine EGi.
The county council’s human resources department was one of the biggest spenders, splashing out more than £3,700 on a range of legal resources including Equal Opportunities Review, Encyclopedia of Employment Law and Croner on-line service.
The council also spent £33,000 on subscriptions for libraries.
Library services
Library users can share the single copy of the weekly British Medical Journey which costs £589 to renew every year, ten copies of the Bookseller for £1,804 a year and £3,172 every year on 36 copies of Which? magazine.
Library services also subscribe to international newspapers including weekly issues of Indian newspaper Gujarat Samachar and Des Pardes and Pakistan publication The Daily Jang.
However, Architects Journal, personal finance magazine Moneyfacts and classical music publication Gramophone proved less popular with readers and the council cancelled subscriptions, saving £355 a year.
A West Sussex County Council spokesman said the council regularly reviewed publications and only took those that are essential to help officers keep up to date with the latest developments.
Essential information
He said: “EGi is more than just a source of news about what is happening in the property market, as it also gives access to a database of planning applications and property values that could easily save us the cost of time from expensive specialist consultants.
“The estates and valuation team needs to be in touch with the latest developments to manage the council’s property portfolio.
“The law reports are a source of specialist case law that are also considered essential.”
Penny Thompson, the chief executive of Brighton and Hove City Council, said: “We work hard to deliver value for money services which are efficient and responsive to the community’s needs.”
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Comments(16)
Poccypoc
says...
3:02pm Mon 18 Mar 13
Perhaps The Argus would like a few press offices to close - then, it would soon be carping on here and on Twitter about how organisations fail to answer the phone!
banargustrolls
says...
3:35pm Mon 18 Mar 13
What on earth is wrong with them subscribing to publications like this? Shame on you.
johnthomas
says...
4:00pm Mon 18 Mar 13
kopite_rob
says...
4:11pm Mon 18 Mar 13
johnthomas wrote:Totally agree.
I never buy newspapers or magazines. Everything is available online for free now
Either free resource,judging by the amount of hours on Fritter and Wasteofspacebook council workers use, they'd be adept to using the net for research or subscribe to ecopies of magazines at much less than the paper version.
Love the fact EGi costs £1,500 a year.
How about getting your property prices and trends off Rightmove for free?
The last temptation of crisps
says...
4:27pm Mon 18 Mar 13
Tailgaters Anonymous
says...
4:44pm Mon 18 Mar 13
stir up
says...
6:19pm Mon 18 Mar 13
HJarrs
says...
8:16pm Mon 18 Mar 13
Sussex jim
says...
8:22pm Mon 18 Mar 13
However, due to the need to communicate with my offspring, put my vinyl onto CD, buy stuff on the internet,etc; I am trying to be computerate.
I can no longer receive a newspaper as the paper "boy" has retired, and so I go on line to read the Argus, etc.
Now, if I can do it, why cannot much younger and more computerate people working in offices using their employers' computers get all their information on line and dispense with paper copies?
leobrighton
says...
8:39pm Mon 18 Mar 13
qm
says...
12:28am Tue 19 Mar 13
Andy R
says...
9:00am Tue 19 Mar 13
johnthomas wrote:No it isn't
I never buy newspapers or magazines. Everything is available online for free now
Andy R
says...
9:05am Tue 19 Mar 13
The last temptation of crisps wrote:36 copies of Which - FOR LIBRARY USERS!
36 copies of Which magazine says it all. Sack the lot of them apart from the janitor - he can say "no comment" and "we're committed to (insert topic here)" as well as anyone?
You know, that place where people READ!
Doh......
Omnishambles_1
says...
3:19pm Tue 19 Mar 13
Andy R wrote:If I could up vote you I would!
Councils in "subscribing to professional journals relavant to the job" - Shock!
Omnishambles_1
says...
3:24pm Tue 19 Mar 13
kopite_rob wrote:There's a reason they are free. Clearly you guys need to start reading more specific journals/magazines most of which are unavailable online for free.
johnthomas wrote:Totally agree.
I never buy newspapers or magazines. Everything is available online for free now
Either free resource,judging by the amount of hours on Fritter and Wasteofspacebook council workers use, they'd be adept to using the net for research or subscribe to ecopies of magazines at much less than the paper version.
Love the fact EGi costs £1,500 a year.
How about getting your property prices and trends off Rightmove for free?
i.e LGC, MJ etc
Andy R says...
2:43pm Mon 18 Mar 13