It has been revealed that local traders are being charged up to £795 to advertise their services in a Council-funded publication for private landlords which is being designed and printed by a company in Rochdale, Lancashire.
A local trader raised the issue with Westbourne Ward Councillor and prospective parliamentary candidate for Hove and Portslade, Graham Cox, after receiving a letter from the Council asking if he wanted to advertise in the publication, entitled Landlords – A Good Practice Guide.
The Guide will be distributed to all private landlords and letting agents in the city early next year.
Brighton and Hove has the second highest proportion of private rented housing stock in the country outside of London, accommodating over 35,000 households.
Cllr. Cox said: “Councillors from all parties are quite rightly committed to helping our local traders so I am at a loss to understand why the contract for this significant piece of work has been awarded to a company from Rochdale. There are numerous outstanding design and printing companies in Brighton and Hove which I’m sure could have done just as good a job. It also seems pretty mean-spirited of the Council to be trying to at least partially fund this publication through charging local traders what appears to be a market rate for advertising. I would have thought this was an ideal opportunity for the Council to back up its fine words on keeping it local with some slightly more supportive actions.”