- The Labour Government has launched the first Local Media Strategy in a generation, supporting trusted local journalism across the UK.
- A new Local News Fund worth up to £12 million will help local news publishers innovate digitally and transition to sustainable business models.
- The Strategy includes support for community radio stations and action to tackle the rise of local ‘news deserts’.
- New initiatives will inspire the next generation of journalists and expand access to trusted news in schools.
Stephen Morgan MP has welcomed the launch of the Labour Government’s new Local Media Strategy, which will support trusted local journalism and strengthen communities across the UK.
The Strategy recognises the essential role local media plays in communities across the country, informing residents about local issues, scrutinising public decision-making and helping people stay connected to the places where they live.
Local journalism has faced significant pressures in recent years as the media landscape has changed rapidly and traditional revenue streams have come under strain. The Local Media Strategy sets out how government will work with the sector to help it adapt and thrive.
Central to the Strategy is a new Local News Fund worth up to £12 million over the next two years, allowing local media outlets in print, online, radio and television to apply for grants to support digital innovation and the transition to online-focused business models.
Funding will support digital tools, resources and infrastructure which can help the industry reach new audiences, develop new revenue streams and strengthen long-term sustainability.
Evidence shows that 37 local authority districts now have no dedicated local news outlet, leaving up to 4.4 million citizens living in local ‘news deserts’ which disproportionately occur in the most deprived urban areas.
A portion of the Local News Fund will therefore be targeted at reviving local news provision in areas where coverage has disappeared. This could include publishers expanding into neighbouring areas, reviving dormant titles, or creating new independent community-owned outlets.
The Strategy will also support the long-term sustainability of community radio, doubling funding for community radio stations to £1 million per year over the next three years.
To inspire the next generation of journalists, the government will launch a new Inspiring the
Future campaign, initially in the North West of England, connecting local journalists and media employers with schools to promote careers in local media and strengthen media literacy.
The Strategy also promotes the ‘Newspapers for Schools’ News Library, an existing platform funded by the Department for Education which gives pupils and teachers in state schools across England digital access to a wide range of local and national news titles.
To strengthen transparency and accountability at the local level, a Regional Media Forum will be launched to explore ways to improve the relationship between local journalists and public services.
The Strategy also commits to reviewing the system of statutory notices published by local authorities, ensuring communities continue to receive important information about decisions affecting their lives.
Finally, the government will work to ensure it makes greater use of local and hyperlocal media in public information and advertising campaigns, recognising their trusted relationship with audiences and their important role in communities.
Commenting, Stephen Morgan, MP for Portsmouth South, said:
“Beyond keeping us informed, local journalism acts as the heartbeat of every community, one which they can take pride in. Labour’s new strategy is protecting local journalism by backing innovation, supporting community radio, and bringing news back to areas that have been left behind.
“This Government is protecting Portsmouth voices and ensuring that local people can trust local reporting. By strengthening community journalism, we strengthen our communities.”
Lisa Nandy, Secretary of State for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport said:
“This strategy will provide unprecedented funding for local media outlets to invest in innovation and infrastructure, almost tripling the size of funding for community radio, harnessing the power of local and national government and giving more young people access to free-high quality journalism and the opportunity to pursue careers in it.
“Because local media was and always has been a ladder of opportunity to help new voices break into journalism. This is not a nice to have. It is essential to a cohesive country.
“Our debate is too narrow and too small. We will change that. The strategy we publish today is the start – not the end point – and we recognise there is more to do. But it is the start of a new approach to local media, which nurtures it and places it directly at the heart of our government’s support for our country. Because the future of news is local.”
