southwark life

[steveo]

My 24-page Southwark Life magazine has just plopped through the letter box - full colour, nice paper and high production values to the tune of 12 staff plus designers, printers and distribution.

It tells me that we have a library, that the police want Southwark to be safer and that Southwark is a great place to be gay. It is completely free of paid for ads.

I know I'm a misery guts but who the hell reads this, needs this information, wants to pay for it in their council tax? I used to work on magazines and they cost bundles to produce believe me.

[KalamityKel]

Ive always found it quite boring, about other parts of the borough and out of date

[SteveT]

I have never understood why these publications drop through my door, knowing the costliness of these magazines.

Can we opt out of this scheme?

Southwark could divert the money to something useful or more important.

[intexasatthe moment]

I was a bit shocked to read this

The highest spending ( in London )was Southwark, which paid ?4.776 million for publicity last year, which was actually a 5.5 per cent drop on 2006/07.

in the Evening Standard last year.

[louisiana]

Enough to pay for a couple of fire escapes down 11-storey tower bocks?

[lenk]

Hopefully you'll read it, get a warm fuzzy feeling about what a nice place you live and vote for the ruling party next time elections come around.

That's all they're there for.

[louisiana]

And we also of course pay for the Council to carry them all away again in the recycling. Work creation scheme.

[lenk]

I imagine we the voters asked for recycling schemes.

Imagine if ED didn't have one in place? There'd be a revolution. Or at least loads of angry threads on here.

[Maurice]

I once engaged in an hour-long conversation with someone regarding this very publication. It must have been five years ago, though time flies and I'm not sure that it wasn't 1956. Anyway.

She admitted that it wasn't at all aimed at me. Instead, it was aimed at those who live in Council owned housing and use Council services above and beyond the basics, which translates into the poor and 'vunerable'. She explained that they do not have access to computers and tend not to purchase local newspapers. Thus, you will always see the stories skewed toward services like job training, literacy, etc. and a lot of news and information on housing.

I make no judgements. I simply recount my conversation.

[SteveT]

I cannot imagine a revolution over that magazine, it's not even fit for loo paper, load of sh!te.

[steveo]

If it's for council tenants why then don't they restrict distribution to council houses, or doesn't the council know where they are?

[lenk]

Maurice Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> She admitted that it wasn't at all aimed at me.

> Instead, it was aimed at those who live in Council

> owned housing and use Council services above and

> beyond the basics, which translates into the poor

> and 'vunerable'. She explained that they do not

> have access to computers and tend not to purchase

> local newspapers. Thus, you will always see the

> stories skewed toward services like job training,

> literacy, etc. and a lot of news and information

> on housing.

Exactly. Most of the people it's aimed at don't have the luxury of sitting in the garden phoning the council planning department every hour on the hour over a bottle of chablis I'm sure.

Anything that I don't approve of, or can't see the value in is a complete waste of money.

[parsnip-io]

KalamityKel Wrote:

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> Ive always found it quite boring, about other

> parts of the borough and out of date

What's wrong with finding out about other parts of the borough? There's a whole life universe outside of the warm, fuzzy ED bubble you know...

[macroban]

This takes 12 council staff to produce?

[parsnip-io]

.

[steveo]

All I'm saying is that it's expensively made crap. I could make crap like that far cheaper

[Marmora Man]

Forget about the ethics of the magazine being nice, warm and supportive to the vulnerable / socially deprived / poor.

Ask the question - is Southwark Life delivering anything of benefit to the vulnerable / socially deprived / poor?

If it is - good news. Let's see if the same can be achieved for less (a question all public services are going to have to tackle over the next 10 years).

If it isn't - bin it and either save the costs or deploy the money to something more useful.

[lenk]

Marmora Man Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Forget about the ethics of the magazine being

> nice, warm and supportive to the vulnerable /

> socially deprived / poor.

>

> Ask the question - is Southwark Life delivering

> anything of benefit to the vulnerable / socially

> deprived / poor?

>

> If it is - good news. Let's see if the same can be

> achieved for less (a question all public services

> are going to have to tackle over the next 10

> years).

>

> If it isn't - bin it and either save the costs or

> deploy the money to something more useful.

I'm sure they could employ a heavyweight designer, features editor, Quark expert etc, crowd-source their editorial content from a Twitter cloud....etc... which would cost even more money.

As with a lot of council things - it's a comprimise.

[steveo]

I refer the honourable member to the reply I gave earlier. Twelve staff plus contractors on a job like that is ludicrous. You could run one of the nationals with that staffing

[Peckham native]

I think you'll find the 12 people mentioned only spend a small amount of their time on Southwark Life. The rest of their time is spent on other brilliant/rubbish* (*delete depending on your viewpoint) communication projects for Southwark.

[lenk]

Peckham native Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I think you'll find the 12 people mentioned only

> spend a small amount of their time on Southwark

> Life. The rest of their time is spent on other

> brilliant/rubbish* (*delete depending on your

> viewpoint) communication projects for Southwark.

....such as the 'good luck in your exams' billboards which someone on here was HORRIFIED they were spending money on a while back.

[EDOldie]

I may be mistaken but I have a feeling that Councils are required by law to produce such drivel. Any local council laywers out there?

[KalamityKel]

parsnip-io Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> KalamityKel Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Ive always found it quite boring, about other

> > parts of the borough and out of date

>

>

> What's wrong with finding out about other parts of

> the borough? There's a whole life universe

> outside of the warm, fuzzy ED bubble you know...

May I suggest you dont stereotype EDF users to only be interested in East Dulwich and East Dulwich only. I just don't happen to find reading continuously of news and events on the further side of the borough particularly interesting. Give us news of Peckham, Elephant etc rather than Surrey Quays and the likes too tis all I'm saying.

[Maurice]

For me, it's about poor content, regardless of the dateline. Sort of like Cold War Pravda but produced by British civil servants (i.e. poorly and inefficiently).

[Domitianus]

KalamityKel Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> parsnip-io Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > KalamityKel Wrote:

> >

> --------------------------------------------------

>

> > -----

> > > Ive always found it quite boring, about other

> > > parts of the borough and out of date

> >

> >

> > What's wrong with finding out about other parts

> of

> > the borough? There's a whole life universe

> > outside of the warm, fuzzy ED bubble you

> know...

>

> May I suggest you dont stereotype EDF users to

> only be interested in East Dulwich and East

> Dulwich only. I just don't happen to find reading

> continuously of news and events on the further

> side of the borough particularly interesting.

> Give us news of Peckham, Elephant etc rather than

> Surrey Quays and the likes too tis all I'm saying.

'Tis true.