According to the Newspaper Society: This week, the Communities and Local Government Secretary launched a consultation on a new Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity.
Mr Pickles has “made it clear that the existing rules on local authority publicity have resulted in taxpayers’ money being wasted and the free press being undermined,” the consultation document said.
It listed the following proposals relating to council newspapers and their websites:
• They must not appear more frequently than once a quarter;
• They must only include material that is directly related to the business, services or amenities of the authority or other local service providers;
• They should be clearly marked as being published by the local authority.
It also said that councils should no longer use lobbyists.
Mr Pickles’ announcement comes after a sustained campaign by the NS and publishers against council titles which compete with independent local media for audiences and advertising. The NS met with Eric Pickles in June to discuss newspaper concerns.
Mr Pickles said: “An independent local press is an essential part of our open democracy helping local people scrutinise and hold elected councillors to account.”
“The rules around council publicity have been too weak for too long allowing public money to be spent on frivolous town hall propaganda papers that have left many local newspapers looking over the abyss – weakening our free press – or to use ‘hired-gun’ lobbyists that operate in the shadows to bulldoze special interests through.
“The proposals I am publishing today will close off these inappropriate practices and make sure that councils focus taxpayers’ money on where it should be spent – protecting frontline services.”
NS president Georgina Harvey, managing director Trinity Mirror Regionals, said: “We welcome Eric Pickles proposed rule changes as we have long been campaigning against council publications that masquerade as independent newspapers and which threaten the survival of local democracy, freedom of speech and the future of the local press.
“We will give our full support to the consultation process to ensure these rule changes are adopted.”
David Newell, NS director, added: “Local newspapers fulfil a vital democratic role as the only independent voices which can effectively hold local authorities to account so it is encouraging to see the Government pressing ahead with its commitment to crack down on competing local authority newspapers, websites and other media platforms.”
