A free publication produced by Angus Council to communicate with residents is to be scrapped in the local authority’s latest cost cutting measure.
The twice yearly Angus Life magazine was produced by the council’s corporate communications team and delivered door to door.
The cost of printing and delivering the magazine was around £25,000 a year and the council’s policy and resources committee have decided this money should be saved.
In his report to councillors, chief executive Richard Stiff described Angus Life as a “rather dated and costly way to communicate” and said the information contained in the magazine would be put on the council’s website and social media platforms.
He added: “We are increasingly using social media and websites to share richer content directly with customers and citizens and to stimulate discussion with and among them.
“This digital engagement is still at a relatively early stage of development but it has already proved to be an effective way of communicating directly with many citizens.”
The possibility of securing advertising to pay for the publication costs was explored but it was found that the amount of advertising required would dramatically reduce the editorial space available.
Another alternative was to produce fewer copies of Angus Life and make them available free in council and community premises.
However, using the same amount of staff time to produce the magazine for a limited readership was judged to not offer value for money.
The staff time spent on the magazine will now be spent on the development of a new council website.
“The site will be a critical communication and service channel for the council and the allocation of staff time to rewrite content and develop new areas will help ensure the project is delivered on time, bringing further anticipated savings as more business is conducted on this cost-effective customer service channel,” Mr Stiff added.
The move to scrap Angus Life was unanimously approved.