Every council has a duty to inform residents about its
plans and how to access services and benefits.
Research from the Local Government Association shows that most
residents prefer to get this information from a council magazine,
and there is a proven link between people reading the council
publication and how informed they feel.
Frequently asked
questions...
1 - How much does Life cost?
Life costs £233,868 a year to research, write,
design, print and distribute to 91,255 homes every month. This
equates to 21p, or less than the cost of a second class stamp (32p)
for each issue that lands on a resident’s doormat, and amounts to
0.05% of the council’s total revenue expenditure in 2010.
Before the magazine was relaunched in its 32-page
format in 2008, the council spent considerably more on
communications activities that weren’t as effective or as well
co-ordinated. By using Life, the council is able to communicate in
a more cost-effective way to let residents know about a wide range
of activities, such as consultations, changes to waste and
recycling activities or local events.
2 - How much of that cost is off-set by
advertising?
We don't
take private advertising but we we do include occasional
advertising from other public sector bodies, partner
organisations and charities, such as the NHS or Weston College.
In both
the March ‘09 and March ‘10 editions of Life there were four-page
pull-out guides to NHS services. The NHS is required by Government
to put this information out to the public and the most
cost-effective way for them to do it is to pay for advertising in
Life. If they had to write, design, print and distribute their own
four-page leaflet to every household in the district, it would cost
a lot more to the tax-payer.
3 - How many people read
Life?
According to our local Citizens’ Panel (December
2010) the magazine is read by 85 per cent of the adult population,
about 150,000 people, every month and is viewed by local people as
the most credible printed media source in North Somerset.
4 - Why do I need Life if I can get the
information from other sources?
By using
Life, the council is able to communicate in a more cost-effective
way, to let residents know about:
Information about
these services is available through other means but the magazine is
a 'one-stop-shop' of information which will reach people who might
not use libraries or go online, for example.
5 - Why don't you ask the local newspapers to publish
your stories?
We do!
However we cannot rely on the local press to get our messages out
to the public, especially due to the rural nature of the district.
People who live in outlaying villages who are out of the
distribution range of local newspapers would be cut-off from news
about council services. It is also down to the editor's choice
whether the stories are used or not. Life is the only way we can
guarantee information about our services reaches every
resident.
To give
an example of how the magazine helps save us money, we ran a series
of articles in Life during the course of 2010 promoting the
council’s community alarm system, Carelink. This has contributed
significantly towards us increasing the number of vulnerable or
older people using the system. User numbers increased from 2034 in
January 2010 to 2469 in January 2011. The system provides added
support and reassurance to vulnerable and older people across North
Somerset, helping them live independently in their own homes for
longer. One of the biggest financial challenges for North Somerset
Council is the cost of providing residential care. The council
saves around £13,000 a year for every person who is supported to
live at home as opposed to being moved into council-supported
residential care.
Some
local councils produce full weekly newspapers, complete with TV
listings, restaurant reviews and full commercial advertising. This
competes directly with the local independent press and we have no
intention of doing that.
In
October 2009 Life was named the best external magazine with a
circulation over 60,000 at the Chartered Institute of Public
Relations Local Public Service Excellence in Communications
Awards.
5 - I still prefer not to receive Life, is this
possible?
Yes, you can register your address with
the
Royal Mail's 'opt-out' service, though be aware that this
will stop all unaddressed mail that you receive from Royal Mail,
not just North Somerset Life.
