Thursday 6 August 2009

Cornish papers to get council notices back

The Newspaper Society says Cornwall County Council looks set to put planning notices back into the local press after just four months following a campaign to have them restored.
The NS claims there was a public outcry after the council removed around a third of its planning notices from Northcliffe’s Cornwall and Devon Media titles in April as part of the county’s transition to a unitary council system.
Local newspapers published around 20 letters from readers who complained they were no longer able to see planning applications that could affect them, and residents also complained to the council.
The NS says: "Following the recent election of a new administration, the issue was raised at a council cabinet meeting which saw councillors calling for planning notices be put back into local media, with one saying it was the local authority’s “duty to place them in the papers so that people are kept informed.”
"Now, the council is expected to place around 30 planning applications in Cornwall and Devon Media’s titles each week instead of 20."
The new Conservative administration, which replaced a Liberal Democrat council in June’s local elections, has also scrapped the council’s monthly Your Cornwall newspaper which cost the taxpayer almost £700,000 in 11 months.

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