The new Con-Lib coalition is promising tough new rules to prevent council-run papers providing “unfair competition” to independent local titles.

Full details of the 34-page policy agreement between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats were published yesterday.

It included a one-line pledge on town hall publications stating: “We will impose tougher rules to stop unfair competition by local authority newspapers.”

However the deal made no specific mention of the future of the three independently-funded regional news pilots planned by Labour before it lost office.

The policy document stated simply: “We will enable partnerships between local newspapers, radio and television stations to promote a strong and diverse local media industry.”

Although this would not appear to rule out the continuation of the IFNCs in some form, the document went on to make clear that any funding left over from digital switchover would be used to fund the roll-out of superfast broadband, not channelled into regional TV news.

Meanwhile the Department of Culture, Media and Sport has announced the appointment of Ed Vaizey as the minister responsible for media and the creative industries.

He will join the department led by Jeremy Hunt, who was appointed Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport last week.