The coalition government has reaffirmed its pledge to tighten the rules on council-run free newspapers.

Communities secretary Eric Pickles said independent local papers should not face competition from what he called “town hall pravdas.”

He said: “The previous government’s weakening of the rules on town hall publicity not only wasted taxpayers’ money and added to the wave of junk mail, but has undermined a free press.

“Councils should spend less time and money on weekly town hall Pravdas that end up in the bin, and focus more on frontline services like providing regular rubbish collections.

“In an internet age, commercial newspapers should expect over time less state advertising as more information is syndicated online for free.

“The flipside is our free press should not face state competition from propaganda on the rates dressed up as local reporting.”

His comments follow a meeting held earlier this month with the Newspaper Society, which has long lobbied for curbs on council publications.

The coalition’s 34-page policy agreement published in May included a one-line pledge stating: “We will impose tougher rules to stop unfair competition by local authority newspapers.”

Comments

Ex-Ed (28/06/2010 10:13:45)
This is welcome in that it will reduce the volume of cash poured down the drain by local councils. I suspect, though, that it will do nothing to improve the quantity and quality of council coverage in regional and local papers.