The Trades Union Congress has backed calls for a government-commissioned inquiry into the future of local papers.

The motion submitted by the National Union of Journalists calls for different modesl of ownership to encourage a more diverse local press, and the protection of local titles as community assets akin to pubs.

It wants the Localism Act 2012 to be used in the regional press industry in the same way local councils now determine “community assets”  such as pubs, shops and libraries within their communities.

If enacted it would prevent publishers from closing newspapers with immediate effect and create a six-month window to enable other interested parties to buy them.

Andy Smith, NUJ joint-president, told the conference: “On a daily basis we’re called upon to support our members dealing with the redundancies, the reorganisations, the stress, the frustration as they watch papers they care passionately about being slowly destroyed by owners protecting absurd profit margins and managing decline rather than investing in quality journalism and planning for the future.

“Despite the bad news, I do believe local newspapers have a future. But it’s not a future where recycled press releases and readers’ photos are thrown together under a regional masthead, one line on a balance sheet of some multi-national giant, vulnerable to decisions made by people who know precious little about the titles they own and nothing at all about where you live.”

The motion was seconded by Nigel Gawthrope, a Cambridge city councillor and Unite delegate, who said newspapers should be holding people like him – local politicians – to account.

He said the decline in local papers had meant the loss of jobs for printers and journalists, and that newspapers were so understaffed they were being forced to recycle press releases than go out and get stories.