Balls opposes removal of mandatory council ads in local press

Ed Balls, the secretary of state for children, schools and families, has criticised a proposal to remove local councils’ obligation to place public notices in local newspapers.

Balls described such a move as a “retrograde thing to do”, adding “I don’t think it would be sensible to have any strategy on these things which actively damages them”.

The MP, speaking to the Newspaper Society at a Westminster conference last week, was asked for his views on the removal of statutory notices from local papers and about local authorities who are increasingly producing their own publications and websites competing with local media companies for advertising revenues.

“It is vital for the identity and aspirations of these communities that local newspapers are strong and flourish… While there are clear competition rules about what public and private sectors can do, I think any local area which is making decisions which are undermining, actively, local newspapers, I think that would be a retrograde thing to do,” said Balls.

He added: “The strong message from the centre of government is that all ministers should make sure they’re doing everything they can to support regional media.”

Newspaper Society: www.newspapersoc.org.uk