Bradford Council forked out more than £6 million on publicity last year – making it the fourth biggest spender in the country.

Figures collated by the Taxpayers Alliance under the freedom of information act show town halls up and down the country spent an average of £935,986 on activities such as running press offices, promoting services, and advertising for jobs.

But Bradford Council chiefs spent £6.01 million in 2007/8, up from 5.6 million the previous 12 months. Only Birmingham, Liverpool and Surrey laid out more cash last year. Across the country the total bill came to £430 million. Taxpayers Alliance chief executive Matthew Elliot said: ‘‘It is incredibly disappointing that, despite the economic downturn and the loss of millions in Icelandic banks, local authorities are still spending nearly half a billion pounds a year on publicity.

‘‘In the middle of a recession, councils need to cut back on propaganda and spin doctors and deliver savings to taxpayers.’’ Figures show the increase in costs by Bradford Council has risen by 563 per cent since 1997, when the amount spent was £907,000.

However, the Local Government Association – which represents more than 400 councils in England and Wales – said it was absurd to suggest local authorities were wasting money on armies of spin doctors. A spokesman said that people need to know how to access the £100bn worth of vital services that councils provide every year.

Lumped into advertising figures are statutory notices that councils by law have to advertise for, such as job adverts or site notices for planning applications. The amount makes up 0.0043 per cent of councils’ total spend.

Under accounting rules for town halls, publicity is defined as any communication, in whatever form, addressed to the public at large or to a section of the public.

A Bradford Council spokesperson said: “We have a statutory duty to communicate with our residents to keep them informed of how we spend taxpayers’ money and let them know about all our services and how to access them. The figure includes money spent on staff recruitment, property advertising as well as publicising and promoting services.

“Bradford Council has won the Chartered Institute for Public Relations for Best Magazine or Newspaper for Community Pride which is sent to our residents to tell them of all the services and events we offer. Each copy of Community Pride costs 13p to produce and distribute to every household in the district.”

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