UK Government launches £12m plan to revive local news
A sweeping government initiative promises new funding, reforms to public notices and journalism career campaigns to tackle news deserts
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The UK government has announced a Local Media Strategy designed to strengthen local journalism and address the decline of community news. The plan includes:
- Up to £12 million in funding to help local news publishers invest in digital technology and support community radio stations
- Educational campaigns, such as ‘Newspapers for Schools’, to encourage young people to consider careers in journalism
- A review of how planning notices are published, aiming to ensure important local information reaches more people
- Increased use of local media outlets for government advertising, directing more public sector communications spending towards supporting local journalism
- Regional media forums to improve collaboration between journalists and local public services
Research by the Public Interest News Foundation (PINF) last year revealed that 4.4m Britons live in 'news deserts' with little or no access to local journalism — a challenge its Local News Commission addressed with a range of recommendations for independent funding, workforce development, and stronger partnerships to rebuild sustainable, community-focused news.
Jonathan Heawood, PINF’s executive director, welcomed the government’s proposed Local News Fund as a 'an important first step', but called for greater detail on how it will operate: "The Fund must support the regeneration of local news by helping community-centred local news providers who are fighting to build sustainable business models and develop audiences for high-quality local journalism amid an existential threat from big tech."
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy described the plan as a fresh commitment to placing local media at the centre of government support, emphasising that strong local journalism is essential for building cohesive communities and ensuring a diversity of voices in public life.
Future of news is local, says Culture Secretary, as she launches the first action plan to back local news in a generation
First local media strategy in a generation guarantees up to £12m funding for local media’s digital innovation, for community radio and to fill ‘news deserts’
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
This article was drafted by an AI assistant before it was edited by a human
Written by
Jacob Granger is the community editor of JournalismUK