Source · Select Committees · Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Recommendation 4
4
Rejected
Paragraph: 47
Statutory notices in local newspapers remain an important means of keeping the public informed and...
Recommendation
Statutory notices in local newspapers remain an important means of keeping the public informed and a vital revenue stream for many local news publishers. But the criteria used by some councils to determine where notices are published appear to be outdated. We recommend that the Government review existing rules and practices for placing statutory notices in local newspapers and whether local councils need guidance on how to measure the reach and audience levels of news publications in a digital age. This should include an assessment of how the revenue stream from statutory notices can be made more easily accessible for new entrants to the local news market. The Government should set out the progress of this review in its response to this report.
Government Response Summary
The government does not intend to conduct a review of rules and practices for placing statutory notices in local newspapers, but is aware of concerns about the audience reach of these notices and the desire for greater digitalisation. The government is monitoring the progress of the Public Notice Portal.
Paragraph Reference:
47
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
The independent Cairncross Review found that statutory notices are an important source of revenue for local newspapers. We are also conscious of the Review’s finding that their sudden withdrawal would seriously damage the sector and are therefore mindful that government intervention has the potential to adversely impact an already fragile industry. Moreover, it is clear that print newspapers still play a role in providing transparent and trusted information to local communities about local government decision making, as illustrated in a government consultation last year on Traffic Regulation Orders reform. So, while we therefore do not intend to conduct a review of rules and practices for placing statutory notices in local newspapers, we are aware of concerns about the audience reach of these notices and the desire for greater digitalisation. With regard to measurement of these audiences, we would encourage local authorities to use those channels that are able to demonstrate their reach through transparent and ideally industry-approved measurement tools. More broadly, the sector’s Public Notice Portal is a welcome innovation, intended to take advantage of print publishers’ growing digital audiences and to provide a centralised resource for all categories of notice. In addition, many local publishers have adopted publishing guidelines designed to better promote statutory notices through regular editorial coverage and clear signposting in print and online. The government is monitoring the progress of the Portal, and the effect that it has alongside the publishing guidelines on the transparency of statutory notices. Noting that the Portal is owned and operated by the News Media Association (NMA), we would also encourage the NMA to ensure that it is made available to all local news publishers who meet the statutory requirements for