NS Calls for Meeting with Eric Pickles on Council Newspapers

The NS has written to Eric Pickles, the newly-appointed Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, calling for a meeting to discuss concerns about council newspapers and local government advertising practices, following the Coalition policy document’s commitment to “impose tougher rules to stop unfair competition by local authority newspapers.”

The letter, written by NS communications director Lynne Anderson, says: “We would like to arrange a meeting with you as soon as possible to brief you on our members’ specific concerns and to discuss the steps the Government plans to take, the type of rules, their likely effectiveness and how quickly these will be imposed, to help ensure that this unfair competition, which has been allowed to develop unchecked and continues to cause real damage to independent local newspapers across the country, can be stopped as a matter of urgency.

“Recent research has shown that the vast majority of people in the UK rely on their local paper to keep them informed about local council plans and decisions and to allow them to make their voice heard on important issues which affect them.

“We hope that all local authorities will therefore be encouraged to use the local media, which remains the best-read and most trusted source of local news and information, rather than undermining it by setting up rival publications and websites aimed at controlling media coverage of council activities and diverting advertising away from local papers and their websites.

“We would welcome a meeting with you to discuss the problem and to hear about the specific steps the Government now plans to take to deal with this issue which is wasting taxpayers’ money and undermining a free local press.”

For further information please contact Lynne Anderson on 020 763 27421 or lynne_anderson@newspapersoc.org.uk.