YouTube film row breaks out among West Sussex county councillors

Lib Dems have accused the Conservative-controlled West Sussex County Council of spending £40,000 setting a unit to film clips for YouTube as part of an ‘extravagant’ communications budget.

But county council leader Cllr Louise Goldsmith condemned the Lib Dems for getting their facts wrong.

Cllr Simon McDougall (Bersted) said: “Spending that amount of money on a film unit for an internet site would be bad enough in normal times.

“But it is absolutely disgraceful in the current economic conditions.”

Cllr Dr James Walsh, the deputy leader of the council’s Lib Dem group, said in a press release: “At a time of savage cuts to personal care services for vulnerable elderly and young people, it is astonishing that the county council can find £1m to fund its PR department, glossy ‘lifestyle’ Connections newspaper, and now even a new YouTube film unit.”

Cllr Walsh said the YouTube film unit would cost £26,000 a year to run.

“That doesn’t seem like good value to me,” he declared.

“It is also a kick in the teeth for all those elderly and younger adults who have had their care packages reduced or stopped, in the name of saving cash for the county.”

But Cllr Goldsmith said residents were used to all forms of modern communications.

“The Conservative-run county council realises how important it is to keep residents informed, particularly at a time when the council is faced with the challenge of finding £79m,” she declared.

“The YouTube film clips are a good way of keeping our residents informed in all sorts of important areas, such as Age with Confidence.”

She added the council had always sought to find new ways to communicate with its residents.