As the row over MPs’ expenses claimed more ministerial heads,
with Communities Secretary Hazel Blears announcing her resignation
hot on the heels of Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, local newspaper
editors across the UK have been swift to hold their local MPs to
account on behalf of their communities, resulting in strong reader
interest and interaction in print and online.
Many MPs have been giving interviews to their local
paper and submitting themselves to local newspaper Q&A sessions
in a bid to reconnect with the electorate. Neal Keeling, senior
reporter for the
Manchester Evening News, scooped an exclusive with Ms
Blears thanks to the paper’s strong community connections. She told
him: "There is absolutely no way I will step down as an
MP. I want to be a champion for the people of Salford.".
Keeling said: “Hazel and I go back a long way. I’ve known
her since her days as chairman of the Salford Arts and Libraries
Committee and we’ve kept in regular contact since then.
“For all the high profile articles she’s done, I think
Hazel is smart enough to know that the Manchester Evening News
would be a good bet to get her views across at a local
level.”
The Daily Telegraph reported that the expenses row has led to a
spike in the sales of local newspapers and increased reader
interaction. Coverage by titles including the
Norwich Evening News and their piece on local
Labour MP Ian Gibson has inspired readers to be more vocal in the
letters pages and on the websites of their local papers.
Many titles have seen a surge in web traffic as a result of
the expenses row. The
Bromsgrove Advertiser saw
unique users of
bromsgroveadvertiser.co.uk increase by 55 per cent for one week
in May whilst covering the departure of MP Julie Kirkbride over
second home allowances.
The
Bournemouth Daily Echo and sister paper the
Dorset
Echo teamed up to run a live question and answer blog
session on expenses with three local MPs last Friday. Labour MP Jim
Knight, Conservative party member Tobias Ellwood and Liberal
Democrat Annette Brooke each held individual blogging sessions
throughout the day and were tasked with responding directly to
probing questions provided by readers.