Scrapping public notices will harm transparency, peers warn
Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat peers have voiced fears that plans to remove notices publicising council changes from local newspapers will leave local communities in the dark.
An amendment to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill to keep public notices in local newspapers, signed by Conservative peers Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay, Lord Black of Brentwood, Lady Stowell of Beeston and Lord Storey (Lib Dem) was debated in the Lords.
Lord Parkinson said: "Local newspapers remain a crucial source of information for people across our country. Indeed, the local news sector reaches approximately 42 million people.
"For many residents, these publications are not simply a preferred medium but their primary and most trusted means of receiving local news and democratic information.
"In many cases, were it not for these local newspapers, the information would simply not be accessible.
"For the Government to cut people off from this information, particularly at a time when they seek to reorganise local government in so many swathes of our country, would leave many local residents in the dark.
"As councils undergo significant structural change, the Government should surely be encouraging local authorities to go to even greater lengths to inform people of changes to governance structures and much more.”
Backing the amendment during the debate, Labour peer Lord Bassam of Brighton said: "This amendment is a practical one. It would be a shame if local authorities were not obliged to publish notices in the way they have historically.
"I hope the Minister can offer us some comfort and encouragement, and perhaps say that we should do more to stimulate local news services. This is one practical measure that the Government should actively consider."
Citing the industry's Public Notice Portal as an example of industry innovation to boost the reach of public notices, chairman of the News Media Association Lord Black added: "At a time of significant structural change in local government—the biggest in a generation—which we have heard so much about this afternoon, we should have maximum transparency about the activities of local authorities and those in charge of them."