Paying for spin

Tweet As part of its coverage of AMs expenses, the Western Mail drew attention to the monies paid by two local Tory AMs to a company (Hart Media Services) owned by the Tory Parliamentary candidate and his wife for "press work". (I think they got their figures slightly wrong – I make the total paid £4810 rather than £4615.)

The company seems to have started working for one of the AMs in May 2007 (quite interesting in itself, given that the company appears not to have been established until 14th June!), and for the other from July 2007. In both cases, there seems to be a standard monthly payment being made on a regular basis.

Labour AM, Alun Davies, has rightly queried the propriety of the arrangement, arguing that this is a case of using taxpayers' money for the purposes of "funding a PR company, which has clear links to a Tory candidate to publicise the work of Conservative AM’s in West Wales".

However, anyone perusing the local media would know that almost every statement issued by the AM carries a quote from the parliamentary candidate, and almost every photo of the AM somehow manages to include the parliamentary candidate as well. If this is the 'press work' being paid for by the AM's allowance, then it is being used not just to promote the AMs, but also to promote the parliamentary candidate himself. I find it hard to believe that that is within the letter, let alone the spirit, of the rules.