Government probe into council-run magazine

Government officials are investigating a Haringey Council magazine over claims the publication breaches legal guidance.

Haringey People magazine is published six times a year despite a government code of practice stating that councils should not issue newsletters, news sheets or similar communications more often than four times per year.

Liberal Democrat councillors have repeatedly called on the government to intervene, pointing out that the code is partly designed to protect local newspapers from unfair competition.

Government minister Stephen Greenhalgh revealed last week that his officials were “looking into concerns regarding Haringey Council’s magazine publications”. Lord Greenhalgh said a senior official would “take up the matter directly” with the council’s chief executive “in the first instance” and added: “We will keep this matter under review.”

Haringey People provides updates on council projects and other information, and is distributed to every household in the borough. But the Lib Dems have dubbed it council “propaganda” and a waste of money, with each edition costing the authority more than £20,000 to produce.

Lib Dem leader Luke Cawley-Harrison said: “The rules on sending out magazines are quite clear, yet Haringey has continued to flout them, spending hundreds of thousands of pounds in recent years beyond what is permissible.”

A council spokesperson said the magazine played a “key role” in keeping residents informed about the local authority and was “especially crucial for residents who are unable to use digital services and other platforms”.

They added: “Haringey People also aims to celebrate the achievements of Haringey residents and bring a spotlight to the really important work those involved in supporting our communities do.

“We believe it constitutes the right balance between keeping the public informed about local authority services and any changes to those services, especially in these heightened times.

“Given its role, importance and popularity with local people – in the last residents’ survey nearly 70% said it was their preferred source of council information – we have no plans to reduce its frequency.”