Taxpayers will be forking out £60,000 for a council guide book to be sent to every household in a Black Country borough, it emerged today.

The A-Z guidebooks will start popping through Sandwell letterboxes later this month. Council chiefs claim it will provide a ‘value for money’ service to make residents aware of the services offered by the authority. All the books are expected to be delivered by the end of May.

They will include a list of phone numbers, email addresses and website links for council services including trading standards, waste and recycling, planning and education.

Sandwell Council leader Councillor Bill Thomas said the cost of design, print and distribution to the council is £60,000.

“This works out at 41p per copy which provides excellent value for money,” he said.

Read more in the Express & StarTaxpayers will be forking out £60,000 for a council guide book to be sent to every household in a Black Country borough, it emerged today.

The A-Z guidebooks will start popping through Sandwell letterboxes later this month. Council chiefs claim it will provide a ‘value for money’ service to make residents aware of the services offered by the authority. All the books are expected to be delivered by the end of May.

They will include a list of phone numbers, email addresses and website links for council services including trading standards, waste and recycling, planning and education.

Sandwell Council leader Councillor Bill Thomas said the cost of design, print and distribution to the council is £60,000.

“This works out at 41p per copy which provides excellent value for money,” he said.”This will be an invaluable tool for making our residents fully aware of the hundreds of services offered by Sandwell Council.

“It will include an A-Z guide of all of the major services incorporating an extensive list of useful phone numbers, email addresses and website links, from trading standards, town committees and recycling, to education, planning, highways and events.”

Deputy leader and council improvement chief Councillor Pauline Hinton said the guide was something which residents wanted to see.

“It is some time since Sandwell Council last produced such a guide,” she said.

“Our own local research indicated that residents would like to see another.

“This view is backed by both the Local Government Association and the Government’s improvement agency, the I&DeA.

“Their research, carried out nationally by MORI, shows that an A-Z guide came out top for residents as the preferred method for receiving this information.”

By Chris Moriarty