Clwyd MP criticised for using public money for advert

Aug 7 2008 By David Simister

A VALE MP has been slammed this week for spending thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money on advertising in a regional newspaper opposing post office closures.

North Wales AM Janet Ryder said that Martyn Jones, MP for Clwyd South, over £6,000 on a colour promotion in of a regional newspaper, which she says came from the public pocket because it was funded by the Parliamentary Communications Allowance.

"Campaigners against the post office closures welcome all support possible but isn't it a pity that Martyn Jones didn't use the opportunities he's had in Westminster to oppose these closures" she said.

"Martyn Jones's own party is responsible for this and I'd like to ask him what he has done to reverse this policy, which will hit many of his constituents who rely on the local post office very hard. If he wants to get his message over to those who are closing the Post Offices perhaps he should take out an advert in Gordon Brown's local paper."

A double-page spread advertisment in the newspaper normally costs £5292 plus another £926, bringing the total cost of the publicity for the MP’s adverts to £6,218 when it appeared in the newspapers last Tuesday [July 29].

Mr Jones was outraged by the claims, saying that the advertisements cost nearer to £2,500, less than the normal rate for that reason because it was in the public interest.

"This accusation is absolutely outrageous. The figure being quoted by Ms Ryder's office is wholly inaccurate and I have no idea where she got it from. Maybe she should have checked the price before rushing into a cheap bit of political name calling."

"I feel I have laid out my credentials in Parliament and in the constituency on fighting for local Post Offices and will continue to do so using all the tools at my disposal. What a shame it is that Ms Ryder doesn't think alerting people to potential Post Office closures is worthy of such an effort."

The advertisement, which is printed in English and Welsh on two pages of the newspaper, opposing the Royal Mail’s proposed closure of 52 post offices in North Wales, including three in the Vale of Clwyd.