A GLOSSY magazine promoting the work of a council-owned business in the lead up to last month’s local elections cost tax payers almost £67,000.

The 12-page publications were produced to target nine different areas across the county and explain how Arch, the Northumberland development company, was investing in communities.

But with a copy of the publication, dated March, distributed to every household across the county, critics branded the magazine political.

The Tyne Valley edition promoted projects including Hexham’s new bus station, Arch’s acquisition of the Tyne Valley Retail Park and plans for new homes and a retail park in Prudhoe.

“I made a freedom of information request about the cost of the magazines that were suddenly produced to support Arch even though we were in purdah,” said former Mayor of Hexham, Coun. Trevor Cessford, who won the Hexham Central with Acomb county council seat for the Conservatives and helped the party take control of County Hall. “This was blatantly biased support of the then Labour-controlled council at a cost of almost £67,000. That’s a disgraceful waste of public money.”

Information provided by Arch as part of Coun. Cessford’s FOI confirms that 169,763 copies were produced at an average cost of 39p per copy.

With scrapping Arch, which manages a £300m property portfolio, high on his list of pre-election pledges, the council’s Conservative leader, Coun. Peter Jackson has confirmed that the structure and commitments of the organisation are now being reviewed.

“This is just one example of the huge amounts of money which were spent on advertising and PR for all council-owned organisations in the six months before the election, added Coun. Jackson. “Luckily, the public saw through that and we can now make sure that doesn’t happen again on a Conservative watch.”

A spokesman for the Northumberland Labour group said: “Northumberland Tories complained that Arch was a ‘secretive’ company now they’re complaining that it’s explaining its role to the general public in an easy to access magazine. They’ve pledged to scrap the company, so I’m sure the public are interested in how the Tories are going to protect the £10m retail investment in Prudhoe which is an Arch partnership with Northumberland Estates or how Arch will support and develop Tyne Valley Retail Park in Hexham.”

HOW THE MAGAZINE FIGURES STACK UP

Ashington: £7,139.35

Bedlington: £5,488.35

Alnwick and Amble: £5,492.90

Berwick: £5,877.85

Cramlington: £6,485.75

Blyth: £8,785.85

Newbiggin: £5,060.75

Tyne Valley: £7,581.75

Generic Northumberland: £14,707.45

Total: £66,620.00