Policies and procedures

This Newsletter Policy was last reviewed & updated by Rippingale Parish Council on 14th March 2023.

Background

1. Rippingale has a Village Newsletter called ‘Rippingale News’. It is produced monthly by a volunteer Editor and funded by the Parish Council. The Editor also coordinates a team of volunteers who deliver this free publication to every household in the village. 

2. The Newsletter is commercially printed and the cost of producing it is met by Rippingale Parish Council.  The Newsletter may also contain approved commercial advertising, which the Council may charge for to help cover costs.

Aims

3. The aims of Rippingale News are to provide a record of life and a service to the local community by:

• Publishing Parish Council matters e.g. Meeting dates and the progression of issues
• Supplying information regarding future local events and activities
• Providing information about past local events and activities
• Encouraging an exchange of views on local issues in a positive and constructive manner
• Providing local community groups and clubs a forum for reporting on their activities, promote future events and recruiting new members
• Giving residents an opportunity to acknowledge family events and thank others publicly.

4. The views expressed in the Newsletter are not necessarily those of the Parish Council or the Editorial Team, they are included in the interests of free speech.

Layout

5. To aid readers, the layout of the Rippingale News will be standardised as follows where possible:

• Page 1 - Parish Council News
• Pages 2 & 3 - Parish Matters (News from local community groups and clubs)
• Page 4 – What’s On (Local Events)

Editorial Policy

6. All items submitted will be considered for inclusion in the Rippingale News. Items should be emailed to the Editorial Team at rippingalenews@hotmail.com and are included entirely at the discretion of the Editor, in applying this and the Rippingale Parish Council Data Protection Policies.

7. When deciding whether to publish an item, the following principles will be applied:

• The Editor has the right to edit or refuse to print any item submitted.
• The Editor will not accept items of any political nature. Items of a controversial nature cannot be presented in a way that could be construed as giving support to a political party.
• No charge is made for inclusion of an appropriately sized news item within the existing pages.
• The Council will require reimbursement of printing and collation costs for features or articles to be distributed as an accompaniment to the Newsletter. This is currently £10 per quarter A4 page or £30 per full A4 page. These features/articles are subject to the same conditions as the rest of the Newsletter.
• It is the responsibility of the potential contributor to submit an item before the publication deadline, which is clearly stated on each issue of the Newsletter.
• Current contact details should be included with each item to provide further information for readers, if desired.
• A Contributor will be required to provide written consent to publish the personal information of individual referred to in the article.
• Anonymous items will only be considered where the author has supplied their full name and contact details with their contribution and has requested that these are withheld.
• Before printing a critical item, the Editor reserves the right to approach the criticised person /group and offer an opportunity to reply, where possible in the same issue of the Newsletter; where appropriate, the Editor may hold over the critical item to the following issue or publish without a reply.
• Any contributions which may cause concern, or if there is any doubt, the Editor must consult the Parish Clerk on the legality and the suitability of the contributions.
• The Council and Editor cannot accept any liability for omissions, errors or mistakes which occur in production.
• The Council and Editor cannot be liable for any loss or damage occasioned by the total or partial failure of publication or distribution of the Rippingale News.
• Submission of a contribution shall be taken as an acceptance of the above Conditions.

8. The Editor will forward a copy of the submitted Newsletter to the Parish Clerk for the Council archives.

Newsletter Volunteers

9. In accordance with HMRC regulations, a Volunteer cannot be paid for the time they give as Editor, Deputy or distributor of the Rippingale News.  

10. Volunteers can claim reasonable expenses (e.g. printing) providing prior approval has been granted in writing by the Council. All claims must be supported by receipts or documented records.

11. In recognition of the contribution made by the volunteers in the publication of the Newsletter, a small token (to a maximum value of £10) may be given to each volunteer by the Parish Council at Christmas.

Editorial Team

12. Details of the Editorial Team can be found on the Rippingale Parish Council website or in the latest Newsletter.

The pdf versions of the Council policy and precedure documents can be found here.