Welsh council reveals £60k bill for 20mph statutory notices – as ministers take steps to bin archaic law
The Welsh Government is finally looking to change laws which require statutory notices to be published in local newspapers.
The formal notices are normally found buried in the back pages of legacy publications, most of which have seen a large reduction in readers in the last few years.
The law currently means local authorities are obliged to use local papers when making announcements about issues which affect residents, including licensing applications and planning notices.
One of the most recent changes publicised in this way has been the new 20mph speed limit introduced in Wales.
As such, Wrexham.com has asked every Welsh council for details of how much they spent on formal notices regarding the new speed limit in built-up areas.
Powys Council was the first to reply yesterday to our Freedom of Information request.
The council’s response is timely as ministers are taking the first steps to update the outdated laws that require the publishing of ‘a notice of the determination in at least one newspaper circulating in its area’ – starting with the Local Government Finance Bill.
Such laws were criticised locally by the legal officer at Wrexham Council in June of last year.
At the time, they said: “There is now limited circulation of paper newspapers in areas, and a lot of authorities are reporting that actually, they don’t get a lot of feedback from that type of advertising.
“When they promote it through their digital means, and put it on their websites and promote it through social media, that’s how they get a lot of responses”.
Anyone who thinks printed statutory notices in the back of newspapers are a waste of money can take part in the Welsh Government consultation by emailing [email protected] to let them know you approve of the change
You can also write to “Local Government and Housing Committee, Welsh Parliament, Cardiff, CF99 1SN”, pointing out that you welcome the changes in ‘Section 20’ that delete the phrase about ‘publishing a notice of the determination in at least one newspaper circulating in its area’
Our FOI to all 22 Welsh councils is aimed at discovering the cost and reach of statutory notices placed in relation to the roll out of the recent 20mph limit following the Welsh Government law change. In this case, it mostly relates to the publishing of Traffic Regulation Orders (TRO).
Powys Council was the first to reply, stating:
- They placed ten notices – five TROs each requiring two notices.
- They were placed in the Powys County Times and the Brecon and Radnor Express.
- We asked for the latest circulation figures for the titles mentioned. They said they did not hold the information.
- The total cost of the placements was £59,297.16
The total figure may not include officer time, with Powys Council noting “Welsh Government have funded the work involved in changing restricted roads to 20mph.
“Staff costs that have been booked to the scheme are not specifically identifiable as being associated with the notices as this work forms part of wider duties from which this specific work is not separable.
“A final claim will be made to Welsh Government which will cover all expenditure the authority has incurred as part of this scheme where those costs can be identified and justified.”
The figures for Wrexham have been FOI’d previously by local MP Sarah Atherton – highlighting a £32,500 spend.
Powys are not the only ones who place such notices without knowing circulation figures – we have previously reported how the Welsh Government spent towards a million pounds on such notices without recording any statistics on who is reading them.
We will publish further responses as and when they arrive.
Top pic: The statutory notice problem has been ongoing for years. The top image is from 2017 when we showed the Welsh Government was using taxpayers cash to pay for literally nothing.
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