Revealed: PR f irms earned £1.5 million to promote LEZ… and guess who paid!
THE SNP Government has been accused of an ‘outrageous’ waste of taxpayers’ money after it spent more than £1.5 million on PR firms promoting its Low Emission Zones.
The money has been paid to external companies for ‘creative, design and website’ work, as well as ‘campaign evaluation’.
Businesses hit by the LEZs, which will see more than one million cars banned from Scotland’s four biggest cities, voiced dismay at the sum, which is in addition to the ‘vast army’ of communications staff employed by the Scottish Government.
We told last week how cash-strapped Glasgow City Council, the first local authority to implement an LEZ in Scotland, spent £100,000 of taxpayers’ money hiring vehicles as some of its own didn’t meet emissions standards.
Now we can disclose that quango Transport Scotland has paid more than £1.5 million to media companies, including £1.3 million to PR agency Big Partnership, £194,000 to Republic of Media and £10,000 to Progressive Partnership.
Glasgow businessman William Paton, whose vehicle repair centre in the LEZ is under threat as older motors can no longer be brought in, said: ‘This is an outrageous amount to spend considering the very negative perception of the LEZ among people I speak to. When you think of what this money could have done for charities or the homeless, it really is quite ridiculous.’
An LEZ Fightback Fund launched by Mr Paton, meanwhile, has received a £100,000 pledge from a mystery donor. Mr Paton said the sum will assist a campaign which includes a judicial review hearing over the lawfulness of the LEZ, due at the Court of Session in October.
Scottish Conservative transport spokesman Graham Simpson said: ‘The scale of promotional costs for LEZs seems excessive. This will stick in the throats of charities, businesses and taxi drivers in Glasgow suffering as a result of the SNP-run council’s decision to rush ahead without properly engaging with them.
‘This is taxpayers’ money spent on top of that to pay for the vast army of PR staff already employed by the Scottish Government.’
Stuart Patrick, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce chief executive, added that the LEZ has ‘clearly impacted some individual businesses’ and said moves were ongoing to ‘monitor its impact’.
Glasgow City Council hired 131 vehicles between June 12 and July 14 to cover those in its fleet unable to meet LEZ standards – despite telling businesses that they have had ‘years’ to become compliant. The LEZ has been enforced by spy cameras generating £60 fines since June 1. Further zones will follow next year in Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh.
The PR spend was approved even though Transport Scotland already employs an internal team of communications advisers costing around £400,000 a year.
A spokesman said: ‘We have the responsibility to undertake essential communications including television, digital and radio marketing campaigns to help people and businesses prepare for these changes.’
‘This is an outrageous amount to spend’