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Lambeth Life - Massive Budget Overspend Revealed
August 19, 2008 2:01 PM
Council Tax Payers are being landed with £228,000 of increased costs after Lambeth Life has failed to cover the increased costs of going fortnightly
Figures obtained by Lambeth's opposition Liberal Democrat Group have revealed that Lambeth Council's newspaper, "Lambeth Life" is overspending by £200,000 on top of the budgeted £300,000. The failure of the council to attract advertisers has failed to cover the rising costs of producing the council's fortnightly mouthpiece.
The council's June Finance Monitor, the most recent available, shows that the "Campaigns & Communications" Department is overspending by £228,000 on its £1.3M budget.
The council attempts to excuse the overspend saying, "Within Campaigns & Communications a 100% increase in the frequency of publication of Lambeth Life has led to increased staffing costs which have not been wholly offset by increased advertising income."
Astonishingly instead of cutting back on expenditure the council proposes to throw even more money at the problem recruiting an "advertising manager" at considerable further expense. It will take the cost to over a quarter of a million pounds.
Outraged Liberal Democrat Councillors are demanding that the publication of Lambeth Life be suspended for the remainder of the year to bring costs to taxpayers under control.
"Labour councillors have insisted on increased propaganda but the cost is falling on the council-tax-payers of Lambeth," said Lib Dem Councillor Ashley Lumsden, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group at the Council.
"It is no surprise that advertisers are shunning 'Lambeth Life' when it is full of council hype, window-dressing and bureaucratic new-speak.
"I have asked the Council to suspend publication for the rest of the year to save over-burdened tax-payers from any more overspends," he added.