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Row hots up over council planning notices

The row over government plans to drop the requirement on councils to advertise planning applications in the local press has flared up again.

A committee of MPs was told that the current regulations were “a waste of public money” and amounted to a taxpayer-subsidy for privately-owned newspapers.

The outburst by a Liberal Democrat council leader came at a meeting of the Commons’ backbench culture, media and sports committee which is carrying out an inquiry into the future of the local press.

Portsmouth councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson said the £40,000 that his council was obliged to spend on publishing planning notices in city title The News was a “complete and utter waste of money.”

“I don’t know anyone who scans the Portsmouth News and looks for planning applications. All that money comes out of council taxpayers’ pockets to subsidise a private newspaper,” he told the committee.

According to Mr Vernon-Jackson, councils were keeping many newspapers afloat, given the decline in advertising revenues in property, motor and recruitment.

Meanwhile a weekly newspaper editor has written to both his local Labour MP, former journalist Denis MacShane, and local government minister John Healey in protest at the plans.

Rotherham Advertiser editor Doug Melloy said the loss of advertising revenue from planning notices would be “the final straw” for some titles.

He said: “The regional press is already fighting hard to survive during the economic downturn, with hundreds of jobs lost and dozens of traditional local papers closing, leaving communities without the unique coverage that only local newspapers can provide.

“At a time when local and national politicians are anxious to engage voters in the political process and public affairs, removing a traditional, well-tried and successful means of informing the general public of possible changes to their lives and environment is likely to undermine the democratic process and reduce the opportunities for consultation.”

Comments

Chris Youett (28/10/2009 16:37:06)
Lots of people do read the public notices section, especially if developers are sniffing around for green belt or listed building planning permission. Local newspapers will stop leaking money & circulation when they stop giving away onlines & digital services. Publishers should start charging £15 to £25 a month for their services.

Bono (29/10/2009 09:45:02)
@Chris: You say this every time you comment on here. Are you hoping that if you say it often enough, readers will stop thinking you’re talking rubbish? Where’s the proof that others will pay for it?

Ruthie (29/10/2009 12:50:08)
Gerald Vernon-Jackson is quite naive then. I remember getting contacted by members of the public many a time in response to planning notices in the paper. Newspaper readers are much more concerned about planning applications and other such notices than this councillor (quite worryingly) gives them credit for!

formerjp (29/10/2009 14:26:44)
Not only is this a misguided comment, I reckon the councillor has an agenda with his local paper. The paper has probably annoyed him in the past, which it has a habit of doing. This is a paper that was banned by the local football club

Jero (29/10/2009 15:44:18)
Sounds like he’s got an agenda to me. If we leave our list of planning applications out we get complaints and there’s many a story generated by planning notices. Never mind Facebook, PNs are good sources of stories and thus a good source of information for the public. When I was a trainee far too long ago, the group I worked for commissioned a reader survey and the thing most people wanted more of was info on planning applications.