East Ayrshire Council magazine could be another budget casualty

Jan 29 2010 by Alan Woodison, Kilmarnock Standard

EAST Ayrshire Council’s twice-a-year glossy magazine, Headlines, could be another casualty of the current drive to cut costs at London Road.

Produced by the council’s communications department, the publication has been criticised in the past for being an unnecessary luxury.

It costs almost £25,000 a year to print the mag and deliver it to 56,000 homes around East Ayrshire. You get it whether you want it or not. And the arrival of the latest – winter – issue has done little to allay fears the plug could be pulled on the magazine.

It’s so out of date it features council-related events and activities that go way back to last June.

As well as looking ahead to the Palace panto, which ended weeks before the magazine was published, Headlines also highlights the re-opening of the Baird museum and art gallery, ironically just as the Cumnock facility has had to close to a heating problem.

The ‘new’ edition of the glossy magazine runs to 32 pages, but contains little advertising, apart from MPs Des Browne and SandraOsborne and MSPs Cathy Jamieson and Willie Coffey publicising their willingness to help constituents.

There’s also a full page from a local electrical retailer and a full page for the council-backed Galleon centre in Kilmarnock, plus a full page of pictures and details of EAC councillors.

The Kilmarnock Edition music festival, from August, 2009, gets a two-page spread with pictures of the Johnnie Walker shutdown receiving similar treatment.

A taster performance for the Edinburgh Tattoo at Dumfries House, also held last summer, takes up another two pages with words and pictures.

The publishers say they want Headlines to be read by as many people as possible and encourage people who know of someone who has missed out in the door-to-door distribution to ring 01563 576177 to make sure they have a copy delivered.

Said a council insider: “I can’t believe they keep this going. Who needs it?

“They’d be far better ditching it and keeping someone in a job with the cash they save.

“It’s just another case of the council blowing their own trumpet. Enough’s enough.”

A spokeswoman for East Ayrshire Council said this week: “The total cost to print and distribute each Headlines magazine is £12,309.

“The council’s communications section is currently carrying out a Best Value Service Review and part of this involves reviewing the ways in which it communicates with the public.

“The outcome of this review should be known in the next few months.”