WE all know local councils are facing tough times.

They are having to make cuts the like of which have not been seen for generations, if at all, in local government.

In our view, council ‘newspapers’ should be at the top of any local authority’s cuts list.

They should certainly not be retained when some vital services are being axed.

So we find it surprising that the city council is proposing to spend an additional £12,000 on its Newport Matters publication during a time of unprecedented austerity.

The council says its ‘newspaper’ is cost-effective. We would like to see a breakdown of its costs and revenues to test the validity of such a statement.

For instance, are staff man-hours included in its cost base? They should be.

And are the council’s own advertisements included in its revenue lines? They shouldn’t be.

Such information is vital if Newport’s council tax payers are to decide whether Newport Matters is indeed a cost-effective use of their money.

We do not dispute that local councils need to be able to provide details about their services to those who pay for them.

But we wonder if, during the city’s recent budget consultation process, residents were asked whether they wanted to see more of their money spent on Newport Matters.