The cabinet member for communications, Cllr Yvonne Constance (email yvonne.constance@whitehorsedc.gov.uk), has this week decided to stop publishing the council’s residents’ magazine Unvaled in order to save £39,600 a year.

Instead, they say, the council will be making better use of other ways of communicating with residents, including via its annual leaflet in March with council tax bills and the tags that are left on all bins in the district to let residents know about revised waste collections over Christmas and Easter.

The decision to stop Unvaled will be communicated via the local media, and we will also be informing key partners including parish councils. You can continue to find out about council news and services, including by:

• Sign up for a free waste text message to let you know if your collection day has changed due to bank holidays or bad weather. To register send a text message with the word ‘waste’ and your collection day to 07797 870371. Eg Waste Wednesday.

• Follow the Vale on Twitter for news alerts, details of events, links to press releases and other useful information. Go to www.twitter.com/WhiteHorseDC

• Visit the Vale’s website at www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk for detailed information about services and to find out the latest council news. You can also make payments, report problems or register for services via the Vale’s website.

• Visit the Vale offices at Abbey House, Abingdon, or call on 01235 520202. Offices are open Monday to Thursdays 8.30am-5pm and on Fridays from 8.30am-4.30pm. You can also write to the council at Abbey House, Abbey Close, Abingdon, OX14 3JE; email: comments@whitehorsedc.gov.uk or fax 01235 540395.

It’s not clear whether they considered that many residents do not use the internet regularly, nor how they will replace the sort of ‘push’ communications that Unvaled has delivered so well over the years.

I would have preferred that it continue to be produced, and perhaps published on the website rather than be distributed in physical hard copy. That way I could check for it or sign up for an alert to come to me when a new issue is published.

For more information, contact Vicky Tilley
(01235) 540528
victoria.tilley@southandvale.gov.uk