Wanganui council keen on tweeting

Wanganui District Council wants to exercise more control over its news by using social networking sites Facebook and Twitter.

The public will be invited to have their say on the proposed council communications strategy after it was included in the 2010-11 draft annual plan approved by the council yesterday.

But some councillors have raised concerns about the strategy's cost, with one calling parts of it "council propaganda".

The strategy was drafted after mayor Michael Laws requested a review of council communications, to ensure its message was reaching as many residents as possible. It proposes moving the council's weekly Community Link insert in The Wanganui Chronicle to a free weekly paper, River City Press.

The council would also increase its online presence on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, as well as using radio advertising and hoardings to direct people to a revamped council website. Another option was for the council communications team to produce an eight-page visitor newspaper six times a year.

The proposed communications budget was $100,000 a year, $80,000 of which was to be spent on Community Link.

During yesterday's discussions on the draft annual plan, councillor Rob Vinsen said several proposals in the communications strategy were "frivolous, misleading and unnecessary".

The council had not properly discussed how the strategy's considerable required funding would be spent, he said.

"You've got $80,000 there for Community Link, which is basically just council propaganda. I think it is overkill."

Councillor Philippa Baker-Hogan questioned the quality and cost of the strategy, but was happy to include it in the draft annual plan and let residents have their say.

Mr Laws said there was nothing frivolous about the draft annual plan. People were welcome to submit alternative solutions to council matters.

- © Fairfax NZ News