THE Derwent Valley Council has been urged to resume its former practice of advertising its council meetings in the Derwent Valley Gazette. Addressing last month's council meeting, New Norfolk resident Michael Whitehead said he understood the monthly advertisement had been discontinued as a cost-cutting measure. Mr Whitehead said it was important for local residents and ratepayers to know when the council meetings were held and many did not see the advertisement when it appeared in the Mercury newspaper.
Mayor Tony Nicholson said the Local Government Act obliged the council to advertise its meetings in a daily newspaper circulating in the municipality, a requirement which did not encompass the weekly Gazette. Mr Whitehead later told the NNNews that he was not satisified with the mayor's response and further stated that the relatively small cost of advertising in the Gazette should be within the council's means.
DISCLOSURE: The NNNewsBlogger is employed by the company which owns both the Gazette and the Mercury.
How effective is your advertising Mayor Nicholson when no-one turned up to your Bushy Park community forum prior to Thursday's Council meeting? Mr Whitehead is quite correct - advertise locally within the municipality - a quarterly newsletter to all ratepayers would be much much better with forward dates and current information and decisions taken or under consideration. Update the very out-of-date website as well.
ReplyDeleteGaye D
I would also like to know why they only put the agenda on their website on the day of the council meeting - surely they have it prepared a bit earlier than that. I certainly doesn't give people time to decide if they want/need to go to a meeting.
ReplyDeleteYes a new updated council website wouldn't go astray, its terrible.