Greater support for local media is needed to hold mayors and councils to account under Andy Burnham’s plans for devolution, which would involve a massive transfer of power into local government, publishers have said.
A range of figures involved with local news broadly welcomed new plans unveiled by the prime minister, but said that monetising content, barriers erected by populist politicians and the roles of big tech and the BBC were among the challenges they faced.
Theo Bamber, the chief executive of the News Media Association, the trade body representing UK national, regional and local news publishers, said that any moves to give people greater control would be an illusion unless the decisions affecting their lives could be scrutinised by trusted and professional local journalists.
“We were interested that the government’s announcements about greater devolution have not mentioned press or media policy,” he said.
“We believe that is a mistake because the two should not be siloed and, ultimately, the success of devolution is dependent on scrutiny.”
Bamber said that 46 million people a month were consuming local media and that this was proof of the resilience of the sector. He also said it was a counter to the proliferation of misinformation amid unrest in Southampton and Belfast recently.
However, as No 10 moved to devolve more power from Westminster to regions, there was also concern that these plans came as some journalists found their access to meetings was being limited, or were being sidelined as policymakers cut down on press conferences or chose to use social media instead.
A Reform UK council leader’s decision to ban his councillors from engaging with a prominent local newspaper was condemned last year as a “massive attack on local democracy” and a sign of things to come should the party form the next government.
There has also been unease that Keir Starmer’s administration appeared to embrace influencers, and that Burnham has been relatively slow to make himself available to face questions.
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) warned that a lack of a strong local news sector would threaten any devolution agenda and that support could not be left to the “vagaries of the market”.
“Access to trusted local news is essential for democracy to thrive. However, millions across the UK now live in news deserts and the industry has faced decades of decline,” said Laura Davison, the NUJ general secretary, who noted large-scale job losses and the fact that about 300 local papers had closed since 2005.”
John McDonnell, the veteran Labour MP and secretary of the NUJ’s parliamentary group, said: “If power is to be devolved on any scale then there is an even greater need for securing the role of local media to report on and hold local decision makers to account. This needs resourcing to make effective.”
Under a scheme announced earlier this year, the government will provide up to £12m of funding over two years to support local news outlets as it tries to fill so-called “news deserts”. Local media outlets in print, online, radio or TV can bid for grants to support their financial sustainability and transition to digital business models under the new fund.
However, there are calls for additional support, including from those involved in startups seeking to make up for the lack of an established news outlet in some areas.
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Mike Harris, the publisher of the Lead, an independent progressive digital newspaper, said: “We’ve launched the first new local titles in many of the communities in the UK most at threat from the far right, but it’s unbelievably challenging making the business model work.
“People in working-class communities do donate and subscribe to our local newspapers but it’s hard to make the model work in comparison with launching in wealthier cities with lots of middle-class professionals. The Local News Fund is a great start but with the spread of extremist online content, often seeded by foreign dictatorships or far-right grifters, we risk losing the battle for truth unless news, which is expensive to do well, is supported.”
The plans by the Burnham government are seen as an opportunity by those with a record of working at the regional news coalface.
Sarah Lester, the editor of the Manchester Evening News, said she hoped the devolution plans would also lead to a “devolution of media”.
“The scale of devolution being proposed and the fact local money will be spent locally is something that is really good and of course must be scrutinised,” said Lester, whose publication is regarded as a role model for how local media has been able to adapt and prosper, with award winning investigations such as the one which led to Awaab’s Law, which requires social housing landlords in England to address serious health and safety hazards.
“Of course not all areas will get as much media attention as Manchester. There is a need for scrutiny and that becomes even more important as decision making is devolved. My hope is that this will raise the profile of some of the challenges local and regional media face. While we appreciate what the government has done to date when it comes to initiatives such as the news fund, this falls short in dealing with issues such as the way in which local news is downgraded on big tech platforms. Ultimately, we don’t want hand outs. We want a level playing field.”
