'Papers must be preserved'

Adam Hewitt • Published 14 Jan 2010 12:00 0 Comments

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LOCAL newspapers are the "lifeblood of our democracy" and must be preserved, say MPs.

Wokingham and Earley MP John Redwood joined a Westminster Hall debate on the regional press yesterday (Wednesday) and heard about papers starved of advertising revenue as many councils spend taxpayers' money on their own monthly or even weekly freesheets.

During a long discussion on the merits of a flourishing and independent press, Mr Redwood (pictured) heard about council newspapers, particularly common in London, which report only good news and do not hold officials to account for failures or include views from opposition parties.

He asked: "Should councils be banned from issuing newspapers of their own?"

John Whittingdale, the Tory MP for Maldon and East Chelmsford who chairs the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, agreed that "it may be necessary to take action", but the MPs said occasional newsletters giving details of services and contact details were useful.

They said it was council-produced 'pseudo-newspapers' which are the problem, a position echoed by industry body the Newspaper Society.

Reading East MP Rob Wilson did not speak during the debate, but has raised the issue in Parliament before.

He said this week: "If communities are going to scrutinise local government, they must have the tools to do it and local newspapers play a crucial role. Local newspapers

deserve to compete on equal terms, especially as we are in an age where the appetite for independent political scrutiny is greater than ever.

"I am pleased to see that Reading Borough Council has listened to my concerns and appears to be adopting a more sensible approach and hasn't continued its expensive propaganda magazine."

Axeing that magazine, 'Live Reading', and instead producing a cheaper leaflet, was among the cost-cutting measures announced by chief executive Michael Coughlin last year. It saved £15,000 and another £50,000 was stripped from the marketing and PR budget as one of the Lib Dems' conditions for supporting Labour's budget.

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