MONMOUTH Town Council are putting pressure on the County Council to advertise planning notices in The Monmouthshire Beacon.
The County Council have written to the Town Council stating that from January 1st planning notices would appear in just The South Wales Argus and Press Group of Newspapers.
This had come about because The Argus had said it was no longer possible to advertise in The South Wales Argus alone. Instead the Council had to choose from a package of either The South Wales Argus and Newport Press or South Wales Argus and Press Group of Newspapers.
The County decided to advertise in The Argus and Press Group.
"The Monmouthshire Beacon is not part of the Press Group and cannot therefore be used," said the letter from the County Council.
There were two problems which militated against the use of The Beacon and its sister paper The Abergavenny Chronicle. The circulation areas were not clear, said the County Council, with Raglan falling into the circulation area of both papers. The second problem was cost. They would still have to use The Argus for much of the County as well as The Beacon and Chronicle.
Town Councillor Mr Johnanthan Russell said that planning notices should be published in local papers, read by local people.
"If we had a show of hands how many Councillors buy The Argus?"
None of the 13 councillors present raised their hands.
"In that case they aren't meeting their statutory requirement to advertise where local people will read it," he said.
Cllr Charles Boase agreed. "They say the circulation area is unclear. It is clear where The Argus is concerned - no one reads it here.
"I am sure that figures for The Beacon show it far outsells The Free Press in Raglan. We must press hard and put pressure on the County Council to advertise in this area."