P.R. budget worry

Press, 13 July 1976, Page 1

P.R. budget worry

Some Christchurch city councillors are still not sure they should be paying the Canterbury Progress League to do a public relations job they feel the City Council could do better itself. The council’s policy and finance committee yesterday recommended retainin'" its link with the Progress League because of a new constitution favouring more local body representation. But Cr David Caygill said the council should not reverse its earlier decision

to cut a $12,000 annual grant in half, and use the remaining $6OOO in some other way for public relations. “We should be looking at our own public relations,” he said. “At the moment, we’re doing very little about it.” The Mayor (Mr Hamish Hay) said the changed executive structure could get that done, but he agreed that council officers should report on the council’s public relations needs. Cr Peter Skellerup said the council was expecting too much from the Pro-

gress League for $12,000, and that a council public relations operation would cost much more than the $6OOO earlier held back. A decision on the remaining $6OOO will be de-, ferred until the Progress League’s budget for this year has been studied. “There is no financial commitment at this time,” Mr Hay said. Under the new Progress League constitution, Canterbury’ local bodies will have eight of 15 representatives on the executive, which will choose its own chairman.