OXFORDSHIRE County Council magazine Oxon News has been dismissed as a waste of money.

It is delivered to thousands of households across the county, and costs taxpayers £163,000.

That figure was offset by £6,000 recouped in advertising for the three issues in the past financial year, but Emma Boon, campaign manager of pressure group the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “This is an absurd amount of money for just three issues of a council propaganda sheet.

“Councils shouldn’t be wasting taxpayers’ money on publicity and political posturing, they should be concentrating on delivering essential services.

“What adds insult to injury is that they’ve recouped hardly any of the money back, so these publications are merely an expensive of way of bragging.

“Taxpayers can work out when their council is performing well or badly, without glossy magazines from the authority.”

Roger Evans, of Larkdown, in Wantage, has previously written to the Oxford Mail about the magazine.

The 72-year-old said: “Some people might find something interesting in there but me and my wife don’t. It wouldn’t worry me if they never printed another one.

“The county council has to make cuts to save money. But, just to prove how little sense councils display, they splash out on a glossy magazine of yesterday’s news to show how much they care about our business rates and council tax bills.

“Oxon News is difficult to read, due to the gaudy background and glossy finish. Yes it may be pretty, but it’s of minimal real worth.”

A county council spokesman said: “Oxon News is delivered to every Oxfordshire household and is the most cost-efficient way of fulfilling our duty to keep all residents informed about how the council performs, what it spends, and its priorities and services. The county council receives regular complements from residents about Oxon News. Councils across the UK are sometimes criticised for failing to communicate with residents.”

The magazine was first published in 2002 and is delivered to 285,000 households in Oxfordshire. It is written, produced and edited by the council’s publications editor.

The cost of Oxon News was revealed following a Freedom of Information request.

Similar requests showed Oxford City Council spent £43,556.02 on producing its magazine, Your Oxford, in the 2008-9 financial year.

Vale of White Horse District Council spent £37,634 over the same period on UnValed and West Oxfordshire £25,400 on Creating Futures.

Figures for South Oxfordshire District Council and Cherwell District Council were unavailable.

A city council spokesman said it had a responsibility to the public to inform them of how their money was spent and what services it offered.