Save our local papers

Over 50 have closed already and many more are facing cutbacks. Join our campaign to help the local and regional press.

Local newspapers are an important part of every community. They're the best source of information about what's happening in your area, giving you the low-down on local stories, events and sports teams - and, of course, they have a vital role to play in holding locally elected officials to account.

Unfortunately, many local newspapers are struggling to survive. They've been hit hard by a big decline in advertising revenues and increasing competition from the internet. More than 50 papers have gone out of business and many journalists are facing redundancies.

We think it's important to save local and regional newspapers - so please lend your support to our campaign to save the local paper.

Helping local newspapers

Jeremy Hunt, the Shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, has set out two key proposals to help the newspaper industry.

1. The Government should relax the merger regulations that prevent consolidation between papers.
2. The media ownership rules that prevent local newspapers expanding into other media platforms such as local television and local radio must be relaxed.

While the Government is looking into the first of these proposals, it will not be enough on its own to save the industry. The two changes need to happen together in order to allow newspaper groups to build a business model that is equipped for the digital era. By enabling local newspapers to move into new sectors like local TV, these measures will help create jobs at a time of great uncertainty for many journalists.

You can help put pressure on the Government by signing our petition to save local newspapers.