The council has been given until May 1 to bring its taxpayer-funded newspaper East End Life into line with new government legislation.
A letter from the Department for Communities and Local Government said the paper, called a “Town Hall Pravda” by local government secretary Eric Pickles, must switch from being a weekly to a quarterly publication.
The letter, sent on April 17 to five boroughs, alleged the paper, which is delivered to 90,000 homes in Tower Hamlets, is “not objective” and “not even-handed”.
A council spokesman said: “Councils have a duty to publish statutory notices, for example on licensing and planning. “Balancing all this, Tower Hamlets decided the best value for money use of resources was to continue to produce a popular weekly publication.”
He said an ICM poll has found the paper is residents’ favourite way to receive council information.
The spokesman said the council will respond to the secretary of state by May 1.
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