Ownership and control of the UK's regional and local press is once again under the spotlight as a Joint Select Committee, chaired by film director Lord Puttnam, meets to discuss the Government's draft Communications Bill.

Representing the regional newspaper industry, the Newspaper Society has been invited to give evidence to the committee on July 4.

The society is vigorously campaigning for the liberalisation of controls over newspaper ownership and the deregulation of cross media restrictions, a position it made clear in its written submission to the committee published earlier this month.

The submission said: "The Government must now recognise the reality of the fiercely competitive editorial and commercial environment in which regional and local newspaper companies operate.

"Instead of imposing new, unwarranted ownership restrictions upon regional newspaper companies, the Government must bring forward legislation that gives regional and local newspaper companies the freedom to evolve, develop and fairly compete with their many competitors at every level."

The society wants the newspaper industry to be treated in the same way as any other industry and be governed by general competition law only.

"The Government's treatment of regional and local newspapers adversely contrasts with its proposals for broadcast media," the submission said.

The Government acknowledged in its 2001 media ownership consultation paper that the current controls place a disproportionate burden upon the regional and local press.

This position was repeated by E-Commerce and Competitiveness Minister Stephen Timms at the recent launch of a DTI-commissioned study into the UK publishing sector.

He said: "For newspaper transfers we will bring in a streamlined and less burdensome regime, that focuses regulatory action on those newspaper transfers that appear to raise competition or plurality concerns. We shall remove the smallest local newspapers from regulation altogether."

However the Newspaper Society is less convinced: "The Government has yet to produce the draft clauses and draft statutory instruments that will govern newspaper transfers and cross-media ownership.

"Until the draft legislation is available, uncertainties remain about the precise effect of the somewhat complex proposals outlined."

The Society is particularly concerned about the plans for OFCOM to advise the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on any newspaper transfers and mergers, since the newly created regulator will be made up of people drawn from the broadcasting and telecommunications industries rather than the print media.

Under current legislation the Secretary of State must give consent to the transfer of a newspaper or newspaper assets to another newspaper proprietor where the average daily paid-for newspaper circulation is 500,000 or more.

This will usually involve a reference to the Competition Commission.

Transfer without the Secretary of State's consent is a criminal offence and renders the transfer unlawful and void.

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