Lambeth Life - your questions answered

The last issue of Lambeth Life was published on 15 March 2011.

It ceased publishing because the Government has introduced a new publicity code for local government which explicitly prohibits the printing of regular newssheets. 

We would like to thank all of Lambeth Life's readers, contributors and advertisers for all their support over the years.

How does Lambeth Life save the council money?

Printing costs

Putting all the information in a regular newspaper format means we are able to bulk buy our printing and delivery at very preferential rates.

Advertising costs

The newspaper format also means local businesses like to advertise in the paper. This enormously offsets the cost of production in a way which would be impossible if we were to rely on direct mail or leaflets.

The council has a legal obligation to publish public notices widely and the most cost method of advertising public notices in the council's own publication.

Is the cost of producing Lambeth Life a big chunk of my council tax bill?

No. Each copy of Lambeth Life costs just over 5p to produce. We produce 23 editions each year so that means it costs each resident around £1.20 for an entire year. Without Lambeth Life, we would still need to advertise public notices and other important information to residents and so is very likely that cost would actually increase if Lambeth Life did not exist.

But isn't this just using tax payer’s money to promote the council?

Some things such as public notices we are legally obliged to promote. We also want to ensure that residents know how their council tax is being spent. For example, an article about the work of the dangerous dogs team demonstrates how the council is taking action on an issue of real concern. It also gives us an opportunity to publicise the number residents can call if they are experiencing problems with a dangerous dog.

How can Lambeth Life be a credible newspaper if it only ever reports good news?

We aim to be balanced and fair and above all, accurate in our news reporting. While the council does likes to celebrate the good things happening in the borough, not every story that is printed in Lambeth Life is positive. The newspaper prints letters which criticise the council. The council and its partners also recognise that it faces some serious challenges and reports these stories in a constructive way, demonstrating what action is being taken to address the problems. Only 6 percent of residents say that they don't trust what they read in the newspaper but the majority, 61% of readers say that the stories are accurate and factual. (TNS survey 2009).

Who actually reads Lambeth Life?

Lambeth Life is delivered to 116,583 homes in Lambeth and is in fact the largest non-daily newspaper in London. A further 20,000 copies are delivered to local businesses, libraries and leisure centres and other public places. According to an independent survey 65 per cent of residents say they read some or most of the newspaper (TNS survey 2009). And over half of residents, 52 per cent, say the paper is their main source of information about the council (IPSOS MORI survey 2009).

Lambeth Life used to be a monthly paper - why did it change?

As Lambeth Life grows in frequency and number of pages, the actual costs to the council decreases. This is because a fortnightly regular newspaper format contains more up-to-date news and appeals to a wider range of advertisers. It allows us to offset the cost of production against greater income from advertising as demonstrated in the table below.

Lambeth Life accounts