The BBC has today announced the winners of the contracts to employ up to 150 local reporters to cover councils and public meetings across the UK.
As reported on HTFP, the lion’s share of the contracts have gone to the ‘big three’ regional press groups – Trinity Mirror, Johnston Press and Newsquest.
They and other successful bidders will be responsible for recruiting and employing the new reporters, but their stories will be used by the BBC and up to 700 other media outlets across the country.
The BBC, which is funding the scheme, has now provided a full breakdown of which newspaper titles will be reponsible for covering each top-tier local authority.
So for example, the JP-owned West Sussex County Times will have three reporters, responsible between them for covering Brighton and Hove City Council, West Sussex County Council and East Sussex County Council.
The Manchester Evening News will have six local democracy reporters in all – covering all the Greater Manchester councils as well as the Metro mayor for the city region.
Some contracts remain unallocated – for example the contracts for covering Southwark, Lewisham and Lambeth councils in South London, and the contract to cover the Orkney Isles. The distribution of reporters in Northern Ireland will be undertaken in 2018.
Here is the full breakdown provided by the BBC.
| North East | ||||||
| Contract holder | Top-tier authorities | Reporters | ||||
| Newcastle Chronicle & Journal (Trinity Mirror Plc) | Newcastle City Council Gateshead Council North Tyneside Council Northumberland County Council |
3 | ||||
| Sunderland Echo (Johnston Press Plc) | Sunderland City Council South Tyneside Council Durham County Council | 2 | ||||
| Teesside Gazette (Trinity Mirror Plc) | Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council Middlesbrough Council Redcar and Cleveland Council Hartlepool Borough Council |
2 | ||||
| Tees Valley Metro Mayor | 1 | |||||
| North West | ||||||
| The Lancashire Post (Johnston Press PLC) | Lancashire County Council Blackburn with Darwen Council Blackpool Council | 3 | ||||
| Cumbria County Council | 2 | |||||
| Warrington Guardian (Newsquest Media Group Ltd) | Cheshire East Council Cheshire West and Chester Council Warrington Borough Council |
2 | ||||
| Liverpool Echo (Trinity Mirror Plc) | Knowsley Council Liverpool City Council Halton Borough Council Sefton Council St Helens Council Wirral Council |
4 | ||||
| Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor | 1 | |||||
| Manx Radio | Isle of Man Government | 1 | ||||
| Manchester Evening News (Trinity Mirror Plc) | Bolton Council Bury Council Manchester City Council Oldham Council Rochdale Met Borough Council Salford City Council Stockport Met Borough Council Tameside Met Borough Council Trafford Council Wigan Council |
5 | ||||
| Greater Manchester Metro Mayor | 1 | |||||
| Yorkshire and Lincolnshire | ||||||
| Northern Echo (Newsquest Media Group Ltd) | City of York Council Darlington Borough Council North Yorkshire County Council |
4 | ||||
| Hull Daily Mail (Trinity Mirror Plc) | East Riding of Yorkshire Council Hull City Council | 1 | ||||
| The Star Sheffield (Johnston Press Plc) | Sheffield City Council Rotherham Met Borough Council Barnsley Met Borough Council Doncaster Met Borough Council |
3 | ||||
| Elected Mayor of Doncaster | 1 | |||||
| Yorkshire Post (Johnston Press Plc) | Wakefield Council Kirklees Council Calderdale Council City of Bradford Met District Council Leeds City Council |
5 | ||||
| The Lincolnite (Stonebow Media) | North Lincolnshire Council North East Lincolnshire Council Lincolnshire County Council | 2 | ||||
| South West | ||||||
| Western Morning News (Trinity Mirror Plc) | Devon County Council Cornwall Council Torbay Council Plymouth City Council Council of the Isles of Scilly |
3 | ||||
| West Midlands | ||||||
| Birmingham Post and Mail (Trinity Mirror Plc) | Birmingham City Council Solihull Met Borough Council Coventry City Council Warwickshire County Council | 4 | ||||
| West Midlands Metro Mayor | 1 | |||||
| Birmingham Post and Mail (Trinity Mirror Plc) | Dudley Met Borough Council Sandwell Met Borough Council Walsall Council City of Wolverhampton Council |
3 | ||||
| Worcester News (Newsquest Media Group Ltd) | Worcestershire County Council Herefordshire Council | 2 | ||||
| Stoke Sentinel (Trinity Mirror Plc) | Staffordshire County Council Stoke-on-Trent City Council | 2 | ||||
| Whitchurch Herald (Newsquest Media Group Ltd) | Telford & Wrekin Council Shropshire Council | 2 | ||||
| East Midlands | ||||||
| Derby Telegraph (Trinity Mirror Plc) | Derbyshire County Council Derby City Council | 1 | ||||
| Nottingham Post (Trinity Mirror Plc) | Nottinghamshire County Council Nottingham City Council Leicestershire County Leicester City Council Rutland County Council Northamptonshire County Council |
4 | ||||
| West | ||||||
| Bristol Post (Trinity Mirror Plc) | Bristol City Council Bath & North East Somerset Council North Somerset Council Somerset County Council Gloucestershire County Council South Gloucestershire Council |
4 | ||||
| West of England Metro Mayor | 1 | |||||
| Swindon Advertiser (Newsquest Media Group Ltd) | Wiltshire Council Swindon Borough Council | 2 | ||||
| South | ||||||
| Bournemouth Echo (Newsquest Media Group Ltd) | Bournemouth Borough Council Borough of Poole Council Dorset County Council | 2 | ||||
| Reading Chronicle (Newsquest Media Group Ltd) | West Berkshire Council Reading Borough Council Wokingham Borough Council Bracknell Forest Council | 3 | ||||
| Oxford Mail (Newsquest Media Group Ltd) | The Royal Borough of Windsor Slough Borough Council Buckinghamshire County Council Milton Keynes Council Oxfordshire County Council | 4 | ||||
| Southern Daily Echo (Newsquest Media Group Ltd) | Hampshire County Council Southampton City Council Portsmouth City Council Isle of Wight Council | 3 | ||||
| Surrey Advertiser (Trinity Mirror Plc) | Surrey County Council | 1 | ||||
| East of England | ||||||
| Luton News (Johnston Press Plc) | Hertfordshire County Council Luton Borough Council Bedford Borough Council Central Bedfordshire Council | 4 | ||||
| Cambridge News (Trinity Mirror Plc) | Cambridgeshire County Council Peterborough City Council | 1 | ||||
| Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Metro Mayor | 1 | |||||
| Essex Chronicle (Trinity Mirror Plc) | Thurrock Council Southend-on-Sea Borough Council Essex County Council |
2 | ||||
| Eastern Daily Press (Archant Media Ltd) | Norfolk County Council Suffolk County Council | 2 | ||||
| South East | ||||||
| Brighton and Hove Independent (Johnston Press Plc) | East Sussex County Council Brighton and Hove City Council West Sussex County Council | 3 | ||||
| Kent Messenger (KM Media Group) | Kent County Council Medway Council | 2 | ||||
| London | ||||||
| Get West London (Trinity Mirror Plc) | Hillingdon Council Hounslow Council Ealing Council | 1 | ||||
| Harrow Times (Newsquest Media Group Ltd) | Harrow Council Brent Council | 1 | ||||
| Enfield Independent (Newsquest Media Group Ltd) | Barnet Council Enfield Council Haringey Council | 1 | ||||
| Hackney Citizen (Citizen News and Media Ltd) | Camden Council Islington Council Hackney Council | 1 | ||||
| Get West London (Trinity Mirror Plc) | Kensington & Chelsea Council Westminster Council City of London Hammersmith & Fulham Council |
2 | ||||
| Waltham Forest Guardian (Newsquest Media Group Ltd) | Waltham Forest Council Redbridge Council Havering Council | 1 | ||||
| London Evening Standard (Evening Standard Ltd) | Tower Hamlets Council Newham Council Barking & Dagenham Council |
1 | ||||
| Croydon Advertiser (Trinity Mirror Plc) | Croydon Council Sutton Council Merton Council | 1 | ||||
| Get West London (Trinity Mirror Plc) | Wandsworth Council Richmond upon Thames Council Kingston upon Thames Council |
1 | ||||
| Unallocated | Lambeth Council Southwark Council Lewisham Council | 1 | ||||
| News Shopper Bromley (Newsquest Media Group Ltd) | Bromley Council Greenwich Council Bexley Council | 1 | ||||
| Times Series (Newsquest Media Group Ltd) | Greater London Authority | 1 | ||||
| Wales | ||||||
| North Wales Daily Post (Trinity Mirror plc) | Isle of Anglesey County Council Gwynedd Council Conwy County Borough Council Denbighshire County Council Flintshire County Council Wrexham County Borough Council |
3 | ||||
| South Wales Evening Post (Trinity Mirror plc) | Swansea City Council Carmarthenshire County Council Pembrokeshire County Council Ceredigion County Council | 2 | ||||
| Media Wales (Trinity Mirror plc) | Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council Bridgend County Borough Council Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council Vale of Glamorgan Council Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council Cardiff Council |
3 | ||||
| South Wales Argus (Newsquest Media Group Ltd) | Newport City Council Caerphilly County Borough Council Blenau Gwent County Borough Council Torfaen County Borough Council Monmouthshire County Council Powys County Council |
3 | ||||
| Scotland | ||||||
| Aberdeen Journals (DC Thomson and Co) | Aberdeenshire Council Aberdeen City Council Moray Council | 3 | ||||
| The Press and Journal (DC Thomson and Co) | Highland Council | 1 | ||||
| Stornoway Gazette (Johnston Press PLC) | Comhairle nan Eilean Siar | 0.5 | ||||
| Unallocated | Orkney Islands Council | 0.5 | ||||
| Shetland News (Shetland News Online Ltd) | Shetland Islands Council | 0.5 | ||||
| Helensburgh Advertiser (Newsquest Media Group Ltd) | Argyll and Bute Council | 1 | ||||
| Fife Free Press (Johnston Press PLC) | Angus Council Dundee City Council Clackmannanshire Council Stirling Council Fife Council Perth and Kinross Council |
3 | ||||
| Herald & Times (Newsquest Media Group Ltd) | Inverclyde Council Renfrewshire Council West Dunbartonshire Council East Dunbartonshire Council East Renfrewshire Council North Lanarkshire Council Glasgow City Council |
4 | ||||
| Edinburgh Evening News (Johnston Press Plc) | Falkirk Council West Lothian Council The City of Edinburgh Council Midlothian Council East Lothian Council |
4 | ||||
| Ayrshire Post (Trinity Mirror Plc) | North Ayrshire Council East Ayrshire Council South Ayrshire Council Dumfries & Galloway Council South Lanarkshire Council Scottish Borders Council |
4 | ||||
Sign up for our free daily email bulletin
Follow HTFP on Twitter
Got a story? Email the Editor at
So will juniors and trainees no longer be sent to cover the councils handled by these rent-a-reporters? How do said juniors learn and progress if all they do is write ‘all you need to know about X’ stories for the websites?
And what of the titles in competition with those who have the luxury of this subsidised resource? Is it fair on those not lucky enough to have been selected for this bonanza that their competitors are rewarded for not doing their jobs?
Report this comment
No mention of district council coverage, which would provide Local News. Some county councils meet about 50 miles from readership.
JP and others must be laughing. Sack staff, save money and get public to pay for reporters.
Report this comment
This is an awful project. Among the questions which immediately cone to mind:
Why does the Oxford Mail require a journalist to cover Windsor and Maidenhead council in Berkshire, outside of their circulation area?
Trinity Mirror has already started advertising the jobs – a pathetic £22,000 a year. How does this compare with their other journalistic salaries?
Why are these BBC funded jobs being paid at below normal BBC journalist salary rates?
Will all newspaper groups be paying £22,000? Is this figure above or below what other journalists in their organisations are paid?
What will prevent the big groups from cutting their current staff levels and having this free journalist instead?
Report this comment
“a pathetic £22,000″ Shurely shome mishtake? £22K!!!! A King’s ransom to this barely-paid under-nourished, over-worked ‘tog
Report this comment
Welcome to the Layer Cake, son.
Report this comment
Utterly shameful that groups who have made savage cuts get a staffing top up by licence payers.
Report this comment