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Rank: Newbie
Joined: 08/01/2008(UTC)
Posts: 1
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Can the borough tell us how much it would save by doing away with producing and sending to every household, the newspaper 'Redbridge Life'?
All the info we need to know is on the website. We do not need a Borough Newspaper. Let's save money by cancelling this.
Lin
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 06/06/2007(UTC)
Posts: 1,400
Location: Too close to Redbridge-i censorship
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Why do some people have this mistaken belief that the whole world is using email and the internet? They are not. Having said that I would agree with the Council achieving a cash saving by discontinuing "Redbridge Life".
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 16/04/2007(UTC)
Posts: 66
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I have already put this information in a previous posting:
"In answer to a question I put to Council last night the information I was given (and I hope I wrote it down correctly) was:
Each edition has a print run of 100,000 copies and it is produced 10 times a year.
The cost in 2007/2008 was £196,000 (the budget was for £182,000 but there were some extra items put in).
The budget for 2008/2009 is £186,410, with an expected income from advertising of about £10,000 bringing the net cost to £175,518.
Although it is a "free" publication the effective cost to a Council Tax payer at Band D is approximately £2 per annum.
The Cabinet Member, in response to a supplementary question, quoted a MORI survey from 2006 showing a high satisfation level with the material provided to the public by the Council. As there don't seem to be any plans at the moment to seek furtehr feed back on Redbridge Life from the public I will be interested to hear views from anyone in Redbridge who receives it."
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 14/07/2007(UTC)
Posts: 975
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To answer Cllr Cleaver's query, no, I don't think the Redbridge Life is a good source of local information.
Planning applications? Redbridge Life? No. Ilford Recorder? Yes.
Crime? What crime?
The redbridge life is a good 'self-awarded' report. Only positive mental attitude is acceptable.
The Ilford Recorder has a more balanced approach: praise when it is due, criticism when necessary.
The MORI poll? Can we be given any idea of what happened? Who was asked?
I am following many council meetings, and I listen, and Cllr Weinberg totally dismissed a poll because, he said, percentages mean nothing.
And, amazingly, I agreed!
annesevant
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Rank: Newbie
Joined: 16/01/2008(UTC)
Posts: 6
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Surely Redbridge Council should follow Boris Johnson's lead and terminate this vanity publication. Redbridge Life seems to be little more than a vanity publication that allows local bigwigs to get their faces in the paper to tell us how much work they are doing and how wonderful they are. It lacks any critical perspective, and most of the interesting information is already contained in the Ilford Recorder. Surely the Council should use local resources like the Recorder and Guardian to promote its message. Take a half page out in each of these and leave journalism to the professionals.
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 01/10/2007(UTC)
Posts: 124
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Kerry - that's a very good point! It does however assume that the Conservatives would adopt a consistent line to the Mayoral campaign out in the Boroughs....
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 14/07/2007(UTC)
Posts: 975
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Any idea if the redbridge life has been published yet?
Distributed?
Online?
Or has it been delayed? Axed?
annesevant
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 15/05/2008(UTC)
Posts: 186
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edition 24 june dropped through my letterbox a couple of days ago together with the "redbridge conversation, you choose " survey(returnable by freepost).
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 12/12/2007(UTC)
Posts: 1,025
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Anne :) :) Redbridge Life was distributed to all households in Redbridge week commencing Monday 16 June. This is a link to the page where the June '08 copy can be viewed and downloaded - http://www.redbridge.gov...nts/redbridge_life.aspx
A request has been made to add a link on the Local News News module to the Redbridge Life page where, users will able to access the current copy much more directly from the Redbridge i homepage. It is hoped this change will be made next week :) Regards, Redimanager :)
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 15/05/2008(UTC)
Posts: 186
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nice to know it will be available on the web, it will be nice for those who don't live in the borough. BUT it doesn't actually save any money and if you can't opt out of the hard copy perhaps it would be better to reduce the frequency and keep the info fresh and well in advance of event happening dates (there was something listed as being on at the kenneth more theatre this week which was a little bit late to rearrange the social calendar).
my own opinion is that the majority of citizens don't really give a hoot about what's going on in the borough unless it directly affects them.
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 14/07/2007(UTC)
Posts: 975
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No sooner had I asked about the redbridge life, it was delivered, together with the Post and a copy of the conversation!:oops:
And I, (amongst others) am quoted in it, and a fair quote it is!
Thank you to the redimanager for replying so promptly.
annesevant
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Rank: Newbie
Joined: 25/06/2008(UTC)
Posts: 1
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Morris Hickey wrote:Why do some people have this mistaken belief that the whole world is using email and the internet? They are not. Having said that I would agree with the Council achieving a cash saving by discontinuing "Redbridge Life". I like Redbridge Life and the small amount of money that cancelling it would have a detremental effect on a lot of people.
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 29/07/2007(UTC)
Posts: 554
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hallsta, I am not sure that I consider £180,000 a year for Redbridge Life a small amount of money, that would do a considerable amount for front line services. I would be happy to swap your" small amount" for that as an annual salary. And to add the few people it would have a detrimental effect on is the Editor and his team.
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 29/07/2007(UTC)
Posts: 554
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I have a suggestion to test the popularity of Redbridge Life,
Instead of distributing to every household, it is delivered in bulk to newsagents and other newspaper outlets in the borough, Put it on sale at 55p (against the Ilford Recorder, I am being generous here as monthly issues are usually more expensive) and lets see how many copies it sells.If people buy it, that is the test of popularity.
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 31/08/2007(UTC)
Posts: 75
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I see I have been quoted in the latest 'Redbridge Life' (page 11, right hand column, reporting on conversation on the forums) - in response to Kerry4ever's post asking for allotment holders to sacrifice their plots. I thought that was rather naughty to put Kerry's opinion in Redbridge Life - I can't think of a single other post on the whole forum in favour of allotment sales, yet that one gets quoted in print. But hey, Redbridge Life is just the council's propaganda sheet isn't it?
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 14/07/2007(UTC)
Posts: 975
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Kerry is entitled to her opinions, whoever she is. What is worrying is that I have seen a letter, sent recently to a resident who was discussing the swimming pool situation in Ilford (with council employees), stating that only a few allotment holders were standing in the way of a new swimming pool and that the few people working their plots to a reasonable standard could easily be relocated. This shows a total lack of grasp of the situation and cannot be the judgement of somebody who has checked the facts by visiting the sites. The 'Allotment Strategy' was always inaccurate and has become even more so through the endeavours of many.
annesevant
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 31/08/2007(UTC)
Posts: 75
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My point was that such a minority opinion was highlighted in Redbridge Life when it would have been far more accurate to highlight the many posts on the forum in favour of keeping the allotments
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Rank: Newbie
Joined: 09/08/2007(UTC)
Posts: 1
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I've been thinking this for ages. I would be interested in how much it costs and everytime it comes through the door and more copies arrive on the school staff room where I work it occurs to me that the money would be better spent elsewhere. Obviously not on extra housing which we really don't need in the Chadwell area where I live.
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Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 29/07/2007(UTC)
Posts: 554
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Cllrcleaver wrote:
In answer to a question I put to Council last night the information I was given (and I hope I wrote it down correctly) was:
Each edition has a print run of 100,000 copies and it is produced 10 times a year.
The cost in 2007/2008 was £196,000 (the budget was for £182,000 but there were some extra items put in).
The budget for 2008/2009 is £186,410, with an expected income from advertising of about £10,000 bringing the net cost to £175,518.
Although it is a "free" publication the effective cost to a Council Tax payer at Band D is approximately £2 per annum.
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Rank: Newbie
Joined: 28/06/2007(UTC)
Posts: 9
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If the Council fails to inform and consult with the residents then it is damned. If it attempts to inform and consult then it is also damned. What is being challenged is whether the Council can produce an effective medium that everybody is comfortable with. As we all know not all residents have access to the internet, so, therefore, a printed publication with all the alternatives: large print, Braille, tape/cd and other languages etc, would appear to be the obvious choice. The hard bit is to decide the content, quality, format and price.
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