Regenerating Local News: What's Next?

Jonathan Heawood, Executive Director of PINF, shares our latest opportunity to get involved in building the future of local news!

Photo Credit: Rebecca Cresta

On 25 March, we launched the report of the Local News Commission at an event in the Houses of Parliament, but now it’s the turn of local news providers to tell us what matters most to them. 

It was great to hear the Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport select committee, Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, give our report such a warm welcome. She said that she ‘loved’ the report, which will form the ‘cornerstone’ of her committee’s work as they put ‘continual pressure’ on the Secretary of State to deliver a meaningful local media strategy over the coming years.   

Members of Parliament have a vital role to play in creating policies that can make or break local news. However – with all respect to Dame Caroline and her colleagues – they are not the most important people here. 

That honour goes to the local residents who depend on local news to know what’s going on around them and play an active role in society.  

The second most important people are the local news providers who are working tirelessly to meet the information needs of communities around the UK.  

In the report, the Local News Commission set out a vision of the future in which all local communities are served by local news providers that are Accountable, Sustainable, in the Public interest, Innovative, Representative and Engaging (ASPIRE). 

In order to bring this vision to life, we need policymakers to craft an enabling policy environment for local news, and we need tenacious and pioneering journalists to keep building local news outlets that meet the ASPIRE principles. 

So, before we go any further, we want to know what local news providers think about the Local News Commission’s six recommendations:  

1. A Stimulation Fund of at least £15m a year over ten years, underwritten by the UK Government from the Dormant Assets Scheme, to encourage and support local news initiatives which meet the ASPIRE principles.  

2. Tax incentives for donors, advertisers and subscribers to support local news that meets the ASPIRE principles.  

3. A new workforce strategy to ensure that local journalists are drawn from all backgrounds and have the full range of skills they need, from AI to community engagement, to bring the ASPIRE principles to life.  

4. A new settlement between big tech firms and local news, using the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 to ensure that digital data and revenues are shared equitably between big tech and news providers.  

5. A new settlement between local government and local news, building on the public notice system to find new and effective ways to inform and empower local communities.  

6. A new settlement between the BBC and local news providers, building on the Local Democracy Reporting Service to ensure that every local community benefits from engaging and high-quality journalism. 

   
   

Which of these recommendations has the greatest potential to put local news onto a sustainable footing? Which recommendation has the greatest chance of securing the backing of politicians? 

If you are a local news provider, or you would like to set up a local news outlet, we want to hear from you. Please contact us at contact@publicinterestnews.org.uk to share your feedback on the Local News Commission’s report, and to tell us how we could work together to regenerate local news in the UK. 

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