CONTRIBUTION OF REGIONAL AND LOCAL NEWSPAPERS

That this House believes that local and regional newspapers have a long track record of serving and being at the heart of their communities; notes that local media are widely acknowledged as the most trusted of all media; further believes that the independence of local media is vitally important to proper scrutiny and accountability; is concerned that local authority subsidy of news can create unfair competition, making local commercial media unviable and pose a threat to free speech; is further concerned that 100 local newspapers across the UK closed in 2009; further believes that the requirement to place statutory notices with publications independent of the placing authority should be preserved; and calls on the Competition Commission and Audit Commission to review the impact of the growth of local authority funded newspapers on the local media market and free speech.