Council Could Implement Tough New Freesheet Rules

Westminster Council has passed new rules ordering free afternoon newspapers thelondonpaper and London Lite to clean up discarded copies.

The new rules, which will come into effect in one month unless News International and Associated Newspapers come to an agreement over cleaning up, could see distribution points in Westminster cut by 30%, with freesheet distributors also required to sweep up within a 100 metre radius at the end of each shift.

As part of the measures, both companies will have to apply for distribution permits within the borough of Westminster.

Individuals or organisations distributing free literature will require a permit at Charing Cross and Embankment stations; Leicester Square/Charing Cross Road; Oxford Circus and environs; and Victoria station and its surroundings.

The council says that the clean up bill for the freesheets is £111,000 a year, with up to 25% of waste in the West End coming from free newspapers.

The latest ABC figures, for May 2007, show thelondonpaper ahead of its rival with a total circulation of around 486,600, whilst the London Lite had a circulation of over 400,000 (see Freesheets Shed Issues As Evening Standard’s Circulation Goes Up).

The litter problems first hit the headlines in January when Westminster council said that it was considering invoking the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005, under which local authorities are able to ban the distribution of free literature if it pollutes the environment (see Council Warns Freesheets Over Waste).

Associated Newspapers: www.associatednewspapers.com News International: 020 7782 3922 www.newscorp.co.uk