Signing off for the weekend - with a look at the council's publicity spend

Well that's it for the blog this week folks. Let me know what you think – is there an issue you think I should cover – what would you like to see more of? You can email me and follow me on Twitter. Ever wondered how much Cardiff Council spend on publicity material – including their website, adverts, press releases and leaflets? Well Alun Williams has asked the council just that. He put a freedom of information request into Cardiff Council on 3 March using the My Society website WhatDoTheyKnow. The information was released yesterday by Rick Zaple, the council treasurer. For the 2008/2009 financial year Cardiff Council spent £1,377,717.91 on publicity material, which is broken down as follows: * Advertising general: £997,168.08 * Public information: £303,500.38 * Graphic design: £69,622.76 * Photographic Supplies: £7,426.69 Should the council be spending this much on publicity? Value for money as a way to inform the public? Let me know what you think in the comments below. In another freedom of information request made by Julia McWatt to South Wales Police, it was revealed today 1,075 hoax calls were made to the police service from April 2008 to April 2009, an increase from 205 calls made the previous year. See the request here. Have a great weekend!