Council reporting high on agenda for UK's local newspaper readers, says survey

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Sixty-three per cent of readers are happy with the amount of information their local newspaper provides about council business and other bodies, a survey of UK readers suggests.

The study, conducted by TNS-RI Omnibus on behalf of industry group the Newspaper Society, suggests that 85 per cent of local newspaper readers say it is important for local newspapers to inform readers about local council news and issues.

The findings come despite recent concerns that cutbacks to newspapers' staff and the closure of local titles in the UK could lead to decreased scrutiny of local authorities by the press, which led to the Press Association plans for a public service reporting initiative to increase local council reporting .

Participants cited local newspaper reports on issues such as council budgets, planning decisions and elections as particularly important in responses to the survey, which has been published to coincide with this week's Local Newspaper Week. The survey's results follow Newspaper Society research released last week which suggested an increasing level of secrecy amongst local public bodies and councils when approached by local journalists.

Of the 1,028 people surveyed in March 2010, 60 per cent said they would choose to contact a local newspaper to raise awareness of a local issue or problem, while 15 per cent said they would look to council publications and 11 per cent opted for local radio stations.

But local newspapers (36 per cent) were ranked behind regional TV news (40 per cent) when respondents were asked which sources of information can be trusted to provide unbiased information about local councils and public bodies. In comparison, 20 per cent said local council publications and 23 per cent said council websites should be trusted to provide unbiased information about local authorities.

"The survey powerfully illustrates that trusted local newspapers are valued by the vast majority of the population for the role they play in holding local public bodies such as councils to account," says Lynne Anderson, in a release from the Newspaper Society.

"Local newspapers are by far the most popular media source for people who want to raise awareness of an issue or problem and as such they perform a unique role in upholding democracy which begins at a local level."