The coalition fighting legislation which is threatening journalism in Wales
Politicians always speak warmly about local news. So why are those elected in Wales looking at laws which could drive newspapers out of business?
Hello,
While all eyes have been on Westminster, a row has been brewing at the Welsh Government over a piece of legislation which could deliver a fatal blow to some newspapers.
Section 20 of the Local Government Finance (Wales) hardly trips off the tongue - but in the words of the NUJ it would “push the newspaper industry, already on the brink of collapse, over the edge.”
The Society of Editors says the legislation “risks not only creating a democratic deficit that is harmful to such communities but a situation whereby public engagement in local democracy is damaged as a result.”
Today, daily newspapers in Wales took the unprecedented step of telling readers what was going on - with five of six daily newspapers all splashing on the same story.
So what’s going on? Here, we take a look.
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Behind Local News
Coalition forms in fight to stop Welsh Government legislation which could drive newspapers out of business
Newspapers across Wales cleared their front pages to warn readers of Welsh Government plans which could drive titles out of business.
The Cardiff-based Government plans to remove the statutory requirement on local authorities to publish council taxes in printed local newspapers — a plan publishers fear will trigger a complete removal of public notices laws in the country.
Current legislation requires councils to publish a range of public notices relating to their work in local newspapers to ensure that there is every chance for local voters to see what councils are proposing.
Ahead of a Senedd debate on the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill on Tuesday, titles including The South Wales Echo in Cardiff, Daily Post in North Wales, South Wales Post in Swansea and South Wales Argus in Newport splashed on the Government’s plans — warning readers it must be stopped. The Wrexham Leader also feature it on its front page.
Were public notices to be stopped, it would force some local newspapers out of business, bosses of local publishers have already warned.
At the same time, News Media Association chief executive Owen Meredith and Heléna Herklots CBE, Older People’s Commissioner for Wales, have written articles calling for proposals to remove the statutory requirement on local authorities to publish council taxes in printed local newspapers to be rejected.
Organisations including the Society of Editors and the NUJ have joined calls for council tax notices to be kept in local papers.
Heléna Herklots CBE, said: “In the past, legislation has been used to make information and services more accessible, to help enable more people to access them, to help tackle the barriers that leave people excluded. But these proposals, offered with no detail about what suitable alternative arrangements mean — suggesting little thought has been given to those who could be affected by the changes — risk having the opposite effect.
“That’s why, the requirement to publish council tax notices in local newspapers should be retained, and the proposals to remove this should be removed from the Bill currently making its way through the Senedd.”
Owen Meredith said: “It is not too late for the Welsh government and Members of the Senedd to change course and save Welsh journalism. An amendment to the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill by Peter Fox MS would remove the damaging Section 20 from the Bill, ensuring that public notices remain in printed local newspapers.
“We urge both the Welsh government and Members of the Senedd from all parties to stand up for transparency and Welsh journalism by backing this amendment tomorrow. Otherwise, journalism and democratic accountability could suffer irreparable harm. And for all of us who believe in a robust and vibrant democracy, that would be an unacceptable outcome.”
Dawn Alford, executive director of the Society of Editors, said: “Local newspapers play an integral role in keeping communities informed and, in an age of AI, social media inaccuracies and misinformation, the role of the local media as a trusted and vital source of news and information must not be under-estimated.
“The statutory duty of local authorities to publish council tax notices in printed local newspapers ensures that both hard to reach communities and those that rely on traditional media are kept informed of important democratic information.
“To remove such an obligation risks not only creating a democratic deficit that is harmful to such communities but a situation whereby public engagement in local democracy is damaged as a result.
“We call on the Welsh government to rethink its plans and recognise the vital role that local newspapers play in ensuring that the public’s right to know remains fulfilled.”
The proposal has also been criticised by the chief executives of local news publishers in Wales who have warned that such a move could also trigger the removal of other types of notices from local newspapers in Wales as well as removing a significant revenue stream that supports local journalism.
Nick Powell from the NUJ in Wales said: “This proposed legislative change threatens not only to diminish the availability of important information to the public but also to deprive local newspapers of an important income stream at a time when they are already under severe financial pressure.
“It would also send a potentially disastrous signal that far from taking action to address the fragility of local media in Wales, the Welsh Government, with the support of the Senedd, is prepared to push over the edge an industry already on the brink of collapse.”
Will the Government change its mind?
An amendment tabled by Peter Fox MS sought to remove section 20 from the Bill in its entirety. He expressed concerns about access to information for the elderly, as well as ensuring transparency and accountability of local decision-making. Members supporting the amendment shared concerns about the impact of the provisions on local news outlets, with James Evans MS stating that this could be “detrimental to the viability of a number of local news outlets across the country”.
The Government has tried to suggest people would still receive information about council tax as part of their annual bill, but that the current duties on local authorities result in an “inflexible approach”.
Finance cabinet secretary Rebecca Evans argued that section 20 does not prevent local authorities from publishing notices in newspapers, but that it is important that local authorities “achieve value for money”.
Section 20 remains in the Bill - and so does an existential threat to journalism in parts of Wales. Further proof that the warm words regularly uttered by those in office about the importance of local, accountable journalism have little substance behind them.