The Government is to cease publishing its magazine on international development in order to redirect its £400,000 annual budget to frontline world poverty projects.
International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell wrote to subscribers of the magazine this week informing them that the September issue of the quarterly free Developments Magazine was to be its last.
The decision to close the title came as part of a wholesale review of spending across the Department for International Development, he told subscribers.
The title lists two editors and a designer on its staff. Press Gazette understands these three staff worked on a freelance basis and will not have their contracts renewed.
“In these difficult economic times we need to ensure that every penny of the UK aid budget goes to those who need it most, which is why I have established a full-scale review of all DFID programmes across the world,” Mitchell wrote to subscribers.
“As part of this review, I have made the decision to stop the publication of Developments Magazine.
“This will save £400,000 annually – a saving that will be re-directed towards projects that directly help the world’s poorest people lift themselves out of poverty.
“Across government there is a drive to get more resources to the frontline, and this decision about Developments Magazine is supported by a government-wide freeze on all non-essential marketing and advertising expenditure.
“With record levels of national debt, all departments need to be smarter about our communications spending, looking for free and online alternatives before high cost printed products – a move which is also better for the environment.”
Developments Magazine was quarterly, but was revised down to three issues annually earlier this year and sent out to 85,324 subscribers across the globe.
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