The UK Government says it has “no plans” to remove public notices from local newspapers.

Kemi Badenoch, Minister of State for Levelling Up Communities, has confirmed the statutory duty will be retained after being quizzed on the matter.

It comes after the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee made a recommendation to retain statutory public notices in printed local papers, alongside greater use of digital technology to maximise public engagement with the notices.

In a recent report, the Committee said that removing the statutory requirement on councils to publish in printed local papers would create “a postcode lottery as to whether such notices continue”.

Responding to a written question from Robert Halfon MP, Mrs Badenoch said: “Local authorities have to publish statutory notices that relate to a wide variety of topics in local newspapers.

“We currently have no plans to change the statutory duty.”

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Minister Julia Lopez MP has also said that the department is working closely with Mrs Badenoch’s Department to “ensure that the implications of any changes to publicity requirements relating to planning notices are understood before decisions are taken”.