Pressure mounts on London free papers

LONDON - Westminster Council could limit the distribution of free newspapers in its borough in a bid to reduce waste under stringent new powers, which were approved on Monday night.

The powers will be invoked if Associated and News International, the publishers of London Lite and thelondonpaper respectively, fail to reach a satisfactory voluntary agreement to limit waste.
The publishers, who have been in discussions with the council for some months, have been given one month from the cabinet meeting, held last night, to reach an agreement

If they fail, or, if in three months the voluntary agreement is deemed to be failing, the council will limit distribution by up to one third in key areas.
It could also stop distributors from aggressively thrusting newspapers on passers-by, and could require them to clear up their waste.
Councillor Alan Bradley, Westminster's cabinet member for street environment, who has led the charge to limit waste, said: "We are disappointed that we have not been able to reach a financial agreement with the publishers to date, but the door to negotiation is still open.
"However, we cannot afford to let the problem of waste newspapers defacing our streets continue."
Westminster Council initially demanded £500,000 over two years from the two publishers to cover its additional recycling costs, but was unable to reach an agreement.
Ian Clark, general manager of News International Free Newspapers, said he was "absolutely confident" that a voluntary solution could be found.
Steve Auckland, head of Associated's free newspapers division, said he was happy with the proposals, adding "at least it gets this thing sorted out - that's the main thing".
Environmental concerns and the recent allegations of dumping made against both publishers have highlighted worries about the waste generated by the free papers.
A proposal for a joint recycling team (Media Week, 1 May, page 8) is understood to have been abandoned.

by Ellen Bennett Media Week 10-Jul-07