TOWN Hall chiefs at Warrington are being asked to consider setting up a protocol for the distribution of mail shots by councillors.
The aim is to provide the same level of service to all members of the council – and to ensure that the content of any mail shot must be non-political.
If the protocol was accepted, it is estimated that if all members of the council used the facility, it would cost a maximum of £3,420-a-year.
A report to the Audit and Corporate Governance committee says that from time to time, individual councillors request that information be sent out by the council to constituents on their behalf.
For the purposes of the protocol, officers believe 10 or more envelopes sent out with the same content should be regarded as a mail shot.
Officers would keep a record of mail shots made by each councillor in any one civic year and each councillor would normally be restricted to a maximum of 200 envelopes per civic year.
The content of any mail shot would have to be non-political and relate to ward matters and would have to cleared in advance with the head of democratic and member services because the council would be legally responsible for the content of material mailed using council facilities.
Letters would go out 2nd class within three working days of being deposited with democratic and member services.
Checks have been made with a number of other councils to find out their practice relating to mailshots.
Trafford has no formal protocol and pays no allowance. Stockport’s basic member allowance includes £750 to cover travel, telephone charges, stationery, etc and at Wigan members usually hand deliver any leaflets in their own wards.
Liverpool City Council pays members £330 a year for broadband, line rental, car park passes, printing, stationery, postage, etc.
TOWN Hall chiefs at Warrington are being asked to consider setting up a
protocol for the distribution of mail shots by councillors.
Councillor mail shots could cost £3,420
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Gary Skentelbery
Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.
6 Comments
The Wigan system sounds good.
It does Eagle and I will be voting against WBC paying for such mail shots. I’ve always done my own…..and enjoyed the exercise and the opportunity to chat to residents.
I agree with. Eagle. WHY spend money if it is not essential. I thought times were hard. Haven’t we wasted enough on these people with giving then I pads?
I agree with Paul, however it would have saved me
the cracked ribs and cut head when I was delivering leaflets about the revised bin collection because of the snow.
I slipped and fell heavily on an icy path 🙁 it took me several months to recover
Surely it was your choice to deliver in those conditions.
Unanimous (all party) decision made to do away with mail shots paid for by the Council.