The inaugural president of the newly-formed Scottish Newspaper Society has said its first task will be to lobby the country’s government over public notices in the press.

Last month the Scottish Government announced it was consulting over whether local authorities must continue to publish public notices in newspapers, saying they could use a new notices website instead.

New president Michael Johnston, divisional MD with publisher Johnston Press, said that such a move must be opposed for several reasons.

He said: “The society’s first priority is lobbying the Scottish Government against its plans to remove public information notices from newspapers, a change that is unnecessary and not in the public interest given the lack of public trust in state funded websites, their low usage, Scotland’s poor broadband penetration and, equally importantly, the poor take-up of broadband, particularly by the most vulnerable and excluded sections of Scottish society.”

The Scottish Newspaper Society was formed following the recent merger of the Scottish Daily Newspaper Society and Scottish Newspaper Publishers Association.

Its inaugural vice-president is Tim Blott, managing director of Newsquest’s Herald and Times Group in Glasgow, while Jim Raeburn has been appointed director.

Mr Johnston added: “I am extremely proud to be the inaugural president of the Scottish Newspaper Society and I am delighted that we have, in Jim Raeburn, a founding director who has an unparalleled knowledge of the Scottish press and the fundamental role it plays at the heart of the a devolved Scotland.”

Jim Raeburn said: “In these testing times, it is especially important that we have a united industry speaking with one voice.

“The society provides that platform for the effective representation of the newspaper industry in Scotland to the Scottish and UK governments and others.

“We are delighted that the opposition parties at Holyrood are giving us strong support for the case we have presented on public notices.”