c/o Liberal Democrat Group Office Brandon Wing (1st Floor) Brunel House St George's Road Bristol BS1 5UY [email protected]Tuesday 2 nd June 2015 George Ferguson Mayor of Bristol City Hall College Green Bristol BS1 5TR Dear Mayor, Our City I am writing to you in regards to the above leaflet. Yesterday you wrote to all councillors to defend your use of £35,000 of public money to produce an 'Our City' magazine. I received the magazine today and have looked at it with regard to the objective that you set that it was necessary to inform residents about services. At best I would say a quarter of the magazine is dedicated to this objective, far more though seems to be dedicated to promoting you. I realise that next year’s elections are now fast approaching and that you wish to set out your stall to the electorate but they should not be expected to pay for your promotional material. Government has been very clear that councils should not waste taxpayers’ money on promotional newspapers and magazines. Bristol City Council has also been very clear in this - cutting their production several years ago. Every penny counts in local government and the council needs to get its act together if it wants to save more money.
George FergusonMayor of BristolCity Hall College Green Bristol
BS1 5TR
Dear Mayor,
Our City
I am writing to you in regards to the above leaflet.
Yesterday you wrote to all councillors to defend your use of
35,000 of public money to produce an 'Our City' magazine. I
received the magazine today and have looked at it with regard to
the objective that you set that it was necessary to inform
residents about services. At best I would say a quarter of the
magazine is dedicated to this objective, far more though seems to
be dedicated to promoting you.I realise that next years elections
are now fast approaching and that you wish to set out your stall to
the electorate but they should not be expected to pay for your
promotional material.Government has been very clear that councils
should not waste taxpayers money on promotional newspapers and
magazines. Bristol City Council has also been very clear in this -
cutting their production several years ago. Every penny counts in
local government and the council needs to get its act together if
it wants to save more money. The money you have spent on this
propaganda for yourself could have been spent to keep a threatened
library open, build a new zebra crossing outside of a school. I
have a dozen or so houses at risk of sever funding that cannot get
the necessary flood protection because the cost is 30,000 and the
council does not have the budget.At every budget you have insisted
on increasing Council Tax despite central government offering a
grant to help pay for a freeze. For the last three years the
Liberal Democrats proposed a freeze in Bristol's Council Tax. We
would partly do this by ensuring the amount the Council spends on
this sort of self-publicity never happens again.I ask that you do
the decent thing and refund the council the full cost of the
printing, distribution and design of the magazine from your own
campaign funds. I think on reflection you will agree that this was
an unwise use of public money and that refunding Bristol taxpayers
is the correct course.
Yours sincerely,
Cllr Tim KentLiberal Democrat Councillor for Whitchurch Park
