MAYOR of London Boris Johnson has described taxpayer-funded council "newspapers" as a ludicrous waste of money.

Mr Johnson told a south London-based sister paper of the Guardian: "Council produced newspapers are a ludicrous waste of money and a very real threat to the democratic process, which is why I instantly scrapped Ken Livingstone's self-serving propaganda sheet The Londoner saving £2.9 million of council tax payers' money a year to be spent on, amongst other things, 10,000 trees.

“We simply cannot afford to find that we've suddenly arrived in a future where independent local newspapers cease to exist and the local council paper is all there is to go on.

“Some of London's independent local papers have been holding the executive to account for more than a hundred years and too many of these valuable publications are already closing. Without them we face dark days of partial news management.”

But the Audit Commission last week said authorities were not wasting or misusing money on the publications.

Steve Bundred, chief executive of the watchdog, said few councils were in a position to attract local advertising.

Waltham Forest Council spent more than £560,000 producing and distributing its information sheet Waltham Forest News last year and the spend will be similar in 2010/11.

The authority's editorial policy states: "WFN is the principal communications tool between the London Borough of Waltham Forest and its residents and businesses.

"WFN is a fortnightly newspaper that informs and engages everyone who lives and works in Waltham Forest, and enhances the reputation of the council."

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