Welsh Government spend £800k on Statutory Notices in two years

Welsh Government “does not hold information” on the circulation of publications it has spent £800k on via Statutory Notices in two years.

That sum is for the dull but important notices usually buried in the back of newspapers with declining circulations – not for any advertising, job adverts or other spending.

Wrexham.com placed a Freedom of Information request to discover the range of spend, number of notices, as well the titles the notices were placed in.

Obviously if you were spending vast sums to speak to the public you would want to make sure you knew that was happening, so we asked for the last recorded circulations held by Welsh Government per publication.

The Welsh Government said they “do not hold information on the circulation of these publications”.

Two tables were provided, interestingly stating the Welsh Government’s notices appear in a ‘Chester’ publication, one in Belfast and the Liverpool Daily Post – as well as the Daily Post in North Wales.

The Liverpool Daily Post was closed by Trinity Mirror in 2013, so that is an impressive placement by Welsh Government.

Welsh Government Statutory Notices for 2021/22 :

Total number: 366

Total Cost: £424,226.00

Publications used:

Abergavenny Chronicle
Belfast Gazette
Brecon + Radnorshire Express
Cambrian News
Carmarthen Journal
Daily Post
Denbighshire Free Press
Liverpool Daily Post
London Gazette
Merthyr Express
Monmouthshire Beacon
North Wales Weekly News
Pontypridd + Llantrisant Observer
SW Argus
SW Echo
SW Evening Post
The Leader (Wrexham/Flint/Chester)
Welshpool County Times
Western Mail
Western Telegraph

The list is similar a year later.

Welsh Government Statutory Notices for 2022/23

Total number: 315

Total Cost: £394,138.88

Publications used:

Abergavenny Chronicle
Brecon + Radnorshire Express
Cambrian News
Carmarthen Journal
Caernarfon + Denbigh Herald
Daily Post
Denbighshire Free Press
Glamorgan Gazette
Gwent Gazette
London Gazette
Merthyr Express
Monmouthshire Beacon
North Wales Weekly News
SW Argus
SW Echo
SW Evening Post
The Leader (Wrexham)
Welshpool County Times
Western Mail
Western Telegraph

Welsh Government have indicated to members of the independent media sector in Wales ‘concerns’ around ‘any destabilising of the current model’ amid a discussion that characterised public and legal notices within publications ‘are strong pillars for propping up the industry’.

The Wales Public Interest Journalism Working Group recently published their findings that included a recommendation “Ensure that statutory public notices are disseminated via a range of appropriate providers of public interest journalism in Wales”.

In a section of the report dedicated to the topic the Group notes, ” It should be noted that some local print titles in Wales, particularly smaller weekly titles, would no longer be viable if public notices were removed”.

There is also a suggestion that “Welsh Government should publish an annual report detailing advertising and marketing investment through communications teams within Welsh Government, the Senedd, local authorities and other public bodies and assess where these investments could be better spent through providers of public interest journalism.”

A view on the law around the notices.

UK law is also cited, with the topic of Statutory Notices being examined by yet another review in UK Parliament – this time by the Digital, Culture Media and Sport Committee into “Sustainability of local journalism“.

That report also had a section dedicated to Statutory Notices, with a sample of evidence that is familiar across the UK:

The UK Government responded to the report in May ( readable in full here ), noting the reason for reluctance to act, “The independent Cairncross Review found that statutory notices are an important source of revenue for local newspapers. We are also conscious of the Review’s finding that their sudden withdrawal would seriously damage the sector and are therefore mindful that government intervention has the potential to adversely impact an already fragile industry.”

After being sent a picture of a statutory notice we have asked Wrexham Council about ‘land appropriation’ by them, and had to explain to WCBC where we had spotted the information. A wonderful minor case study in the lack of reach for apparently important – and pricey – messages.