A new national website highlighting public notices placed in regional newspapers has been launched in what one editor termed “a powerful boost for local democracy”.

The Public Notice Portal has been created by regional and national press trade body the News Media Association with the aid of £1m funding from Google.

The portal, which allows readers to search for public notices in their area which have already appeared in local newspaper and view them on a map.

It is is currently being trialled in certain pilot areas across the UK and it is hoped it will eventually feature data from 800 local titles across the United Kingdom.

An NMA spokesperson told HTFP: “Two years ago, the local news media sector came together to discuss how to give public notices a boost by leveraging the growing reach of local news media titles online, while ensuring everyone can still access them in their printed local newspaper.

“Although all publishers in NMA membership are signed up to the scheme, the Public Notice Portal is still in beta phase and has not yet been rolled out across the whole industry.

“It is currently being trialled in certain pilot areas across the UK to do more tests on the system and gather further user feedback before the full launch.

“We expect the portal will in time provide comprehensive coverage of all the public notices being published in the UK, right across the industry’s 800 local news websites, creating an enormously powerful new resource which will strengthen and enhance local democracy in communities across the UK.”

The Yorkshire Post is among the titles involved in the initial trial and editor James Mitchinson has dubbed the project a “powerful boost for local democracy in Yorkshire”.

James, pictured, wrote in a piece about the portal on Thursday: “Sometimes, public notices can generate controversy and get everyone in the community talking about an issue which will affect their lives, such as plans for a large new development.

“That’s just as it should be in a healthy democracy, and we are determined to keep these issues in the public eye.

“Two years ago, the local news media sector came together through industry trade body the News Media Association to discuss how to give public notices a boost. Local journalism is reaching more people than ever before, currently 42 million people a month, but much of that audience is now online.

“The challenge for the industry was to bring public notices into the 21st century by harnessing local media’s large and increasing digital audiences while ensuring everyone can still access them in their printed local newspaper.

“Today, we are delighted to introduce the result of that work – the Public Notice Portal, which will transform the way readers interact with public notices.

“The new portal has been built following extensive consumer research, discussions with local authorities and central government and is now hosted on the Yorkshire Post’s website.”