Government Describes Public Notice Portal As ‘Welcome Innovation’ From Local News Media Sector

The government has described the Public Notice Portal as a “welcome innovation” from the local news media sector, while committing to keeping the statutory requirement for public notices to be published in printed local newspapers.

In its response to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s report into the sustainability of local journalism, the government said it was, “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.”

“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,” it added.

“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.”

NMA chief executive Owen Meredith said: “We welcome the government’s acknowledgement of the Public Notice Portal as a ‘welcome innovation’ from the local news media sector, and its commitment to keep public notices in printed local newspapers. This is critical to ensuring the public are kept informed about matters of importance in their local area.

“We also welcome the government’s acknowledgement of the need for a collective bargaining mechanism to ensure that smaller local publishers will be able to negotiate with the might of the tech platforms within the new competition framework.

“We are also pleased that government is engaging with local media to develop best ways of working for future government advertising campaigns. Local news media is a powerful partner for businesses and government to reach highly engaged audiences and should be a critical conduit for central government communications, providing unrivalled scale and connection with local communities, and government must make full use of it.”