THERE is a proposal that authorities would not have to advertise work, which affects local residents, in their local newspapers (Journal, February 3).
Officials at every level, demand more and more personal details from the people who pay them, but seem not to accept the concept of “quid pro quo”.
Do Government agencies simply want to withold information under the guise of ‘cost-saving’? (The claimed saving of £20 million a year, if credible, would only amount to 0.14 per cent of the Department of Transport’s £14.4 billion budget). Are they hoping that local newspapers will provide the information, despite having lost advertising revenue?
If changes are needed, it would make more sense for the authorities to ‘take a leaf out of the Journal’s book’ and make information concise and comprehensible e.g. the item ‘Ravaged roads to be resurfaced’ (Journal p.11) must have been helpful to many readers who were previously unaware of any forthcoming disruption. If jargon and gibberish is a legal requirement, just provide a simple reference so that the gobbledegook geeks can peruse it at their leisure.
BRIAN BRUCE
Bourne Road, Colsterworth