Warning main change will go away voters at the hours of darkness as friends hit out
Members of the House of Lords have hit out at proposals that will end the requirement for councils to publicise changes to their structure in local newspapers
Lord Parkinson has hit out over proposed changes(Image: House of Commons)
A shake-up in rules for councils risks leaving communities in the dark, alarmed peers have warned.
Labour, Lib Dem and Tory peers have called for a planned changed to the way local authority restructruring is publicised. Currently there is a requirement to put public notices in local newspapers.
The House of Lords heard plans to change this could mean changes are made without proper scrutiny. Former Tory whip Lord Parkinson said: “Local newspapers remain a crucial source of information for people across our country. Indeed, the local news sector reaches approximately 42 million people.
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“For many residents, these publications are not simply a preferred medium but their primary and most trusted means of receiving local news and democratic information. In many cases, were it not for these local newspapers, the information would simply not be accessible.
“For the Government to cut people off from this information, particularly at a time when they seek to reorganise local government in so many swathes of our country, would leave many local residents in the dark.”
He said councils should be doing everything possible to highlight changes to governance structures. Under the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, such notices would be removed.
Lord Parkinson has put forward a cross-party amendment calling for notices to be kept in local newspapers. Labour peer Lord Bassam said: It would be a shame if local authorities were not obliged to publish notices in the way they have historically.
“I hope the Minister can offer us some comfort and encouragement, and perhaps say that we should do more to stimulate local news services. This is one practical measure that the Government should actively consider.”
And Lord Black , who chairs the News Media Association, said: “Giving local authorities the power to flag important issues simply as they see fit hands them a wide-ranging ability to keep decisions secret, in many cases, by shielding them from large swathes of the public who still rely on published local media for information.”
He said local newspapers are relied on by over million people who have limited access to the internet.. Supporting this, Lord Faulks said: “There are lots of people of a certain age who are digitally challenged—I think that is the euphemism used—who like local newspapers and think they are important.”
