A "PROPAGANDA" council magazine sent to homes in Buckinghamshire has cost taxpayers more than £800,000 since 2003, the Bucks Free Press can reveal.

Buckinghamshire County Council's magazine cost £806,523 from April 2003 to 2007.

Critics said the quarterly Buckinghamshire Times publication was biased towards the council and its involvement in controversial issues such as a county incinerator plan.

But the council said it was providing important information to 200,000 residents - and costs were to be almost halved from the next issue.

The figures - released to the Bucks Free Press under the Freedom of Information Act - show a major rise in costs for the magazine between 2003/04 to 2006/07.

Total expenditure has gone from £131,722 a year to £315,405. Printing alone has more than trebled from £51,138 to £168,750.

Overall it cost £934,601 to produce of which £128,078 was recouped through advertisers such as Age Concern and Thames Valley Police.

Councillor Julia Wassell, Labour member for Bowerdean, Micklefield and Totteridge, said: "It is a waste of paper. It is really promoting council policies - the figures are shocking, they are nearly a million.

"The money would be much better spent on social services."

The magazine is "one-sided towards the political party in power" she claimed - and is used to "justify" consultations on issues such as the budget and incinerator. However, Cllr Wassell said she suspected few people read the magazine.

Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said the cost came up against the council's need for cash.

In its latest issue council leader David Shakespeare says it is "increasingly difficult" to run services in the face of "shrinking" government cash.

When new council tax charges start in April the average band D ratepayer will give £1,018 a year to the council.

Mr Elliot said: "This is an obscene amount to spend on a glossy newsletter at a time when the council is pleading poverty and raising taxes.

"Most people throw these things away as soon as they are delivered.

"People pay their taxes for bin collections, policing and libraries not for propaganda at taxpayers' expense."

But the council said costs were to be almost halved as the next issue will be in A4 and not A3 format and some will be sent without address labels. A council survey on readers views of the magazine - closed on January 1 but not yet published - got a mixed response.

Of the 62 who responded 21 per cent said they were very dissatisfied and nine per cent said they were fairly dissatisfied.

A further 23 per cent were very satisfied, 35 per cent were fairly satisfied while 13 per cent were both.

There should be more bad news' as it was too positive' comments said.

Council spokeswoman Sian Hester said a survey last year of more than 3,000 residents showed 46 per cent found out about council issues through information sent by the authority to homes.