THE writing is on the wall for the council's controversial free newspaper Wirral View.

For councillors have voted to end the town hall’s failing paper - first published in October 2016.

The title, which has been blighted by distribution issues since its inception, has so far cost the authority £402,000.

Advertising revenue promised at the time has failed to materialise.

At a council meeting on Monday, Conservatives called a vote to end the publication once and for all.

The move was backed by 31 councillors, as Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Green and Independent voted together to scrap it.

Twenty-nine Labour councillors voted to keep it but to carry out a review at the end of the year.

Councillor Tony Cox, who proposed ending publication, said: “We must not waste another penny on this so-called newspaper.

"It has failed against every measure the cabinet set for it.

"£402,000 has been wasted. Half the borough doesn’t get it and the other half doesn’t want it.

“I’m delighted that a majority of councillors agreed and would ask the cabinet to urgently accept the decision of council and ensure that no further money is thrown down the drain.”

“The Government’s guidelines against this kind of publicity are there for a reason – council newspapers don’t work.

"Sadly, Wirral has learned this the hard way.”

The troubled paper set the authority on collision course with the Department for Communities & Local Government from the word go as it breaks the "publicity code."

The rules state town hall papers should not be published more than quarterly and must not resemble commercial newspapers.

In 2017, the then local government minister Marcus Jones sent several warnings about publishing Wirral View 12 times per year.

His office told the Globe the DCLG expects all councils to abide by the code.

Mr Jones said at the time: "An independent free press is vital for local democracy and it’s important that we support them in holding local leaders to account.

“Councils shouldn’t undermine local democracy by publishing their own newsletters more often than quarterly."