National Union of Journalists officials have met employment minister Gerry Sutcliffe to voice their concerns about the future of the regional press.

NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear joined MPs from the union's Parliamentary Group to call for a parliamentary investigation into recent job cuts in the industry, which the union says may hamper the ability of journalists to hold the powerful to account.

The delegation presented the Under Secretary of State for Employment Relations and Consumer Affairs with a detailed dossier of their concerns of "regional newspaper monopolies and profiteering at the expense of local democracy and plurality".

The meeting followed an adjournment debate in Parliament brought by Labour MP and chair of the NUJ Parliamentary Group Austin Mitchell, where it was claimed that 1,000 newspaper jobs have been lost in the past six months.

Austin said: "Despite what some directors and, particularly, accountants seem to think, journalists do need newspapers, and newspapers need journalists.

"Newspapers cannot be produced without journalists. Cut the journalism and all else fails."

Following Tuesday's meeting, Jeremy Dear said: "We were very pleased with the way the minister took on board our concerns.

"He clearly understands the important role local newspapers have to play in their communities and is keen to protect that role and promote diversity and plurality.

"We presented him with a compelling case to demonstrate how those very values are being undermined by the current rounds of cuts and he is clearly concerned.

"He has taken away our evidence to consider and a number of ideas of how Parliament, the DTI and the various regulatory bodies can take steps to better promote plurality and a healthy local media."