THE NUMBER of editions of a taxpayer-funded council newspaper is to be slashed in a cost-saving measure.

The new Conservative administration in charge at Lancashire County Council plans to save £292,166 a year by reducing Vision magazine to two editions a year from 10.

And bosses are thought to be considering scrapping the publication, which had cost £373,450 a year, altogether in future years.

Tory council leader Geoff Driver said he was honouring the budget pledge he made before taking power in June.

One edition will be published in September, and the other in March, at the end of the financial year.

Coun Driver said: “We are doing what we said we would do.

“This will still give us the opportunity to communicate with the people of Lancashire.

“I just felt it was propaganda for the Labour Party. The people of Lancashire do not expect their council tax money to be spent on that.

“If I want to communicate with them as a Conservative politician they would expect me to communicate out of my own pockets or out of Conservative Party pockets.”

An Audit Commission investigation into council newspapers is currently taking place. Critics say the publications give the impression of being newspapers but are not independent so cannot hold councils to account.

Hyndburn council publishes one edition a year, at a cost of £3,270, and Ribble Valley puts out two, costing a total of £10,000 a year.

Rossendale council publishes three a year, at a cost of £16,500..

On top of the production costs, town halls also employ press officers to write the newspapers.

Blackburn with Darwen Council, which is independent of County Hall, puts out one edition every six weeks of its Shuttle Magazine, giving details of 800 public services.

The council said it cost £35,000 to produce, after taking account of advertising - which is paid for by the police and other public bodies.