Waltham Forest Council has said it will continue to publish its £440,000-a-year fortnightly newspaper despite Government warnings that it must bring the publication into line with guidelines designed to rein in aggressive council papers. Waltham Forest Council is one of...

The Government has offered reassurance about protection for journalists’ sources amid concern over new laws aimed at reducing instances of miscarriages of justice.  Speaking on behalf of the Government , Baroness Evans of Bowes Park said the Government was “committed...

The Government will introduce business rates relief for local newspapers for a period of two years starting from 1 April 2017, the Chancellor confirmed in his budget.   The News Media Association had called on the Government to introduce business...

The Communities Department is to target nine new local authorities as part of its clampdown on aggressive council newspapers.   Local authorities Enfield, Hackney, Hillingdon, Lambeth, Luton, Medway, Newham, North Somerset and Waltham Forest have been served written notices by...

MPs have called upon the Home Secretary to introduce stronger safeguards to robustly protect journalists’ sources into the Investigatory Powers Bill which would weaken existing protections if passed in its current form. In a debate this week, Labour and SNP...

The BBC’s local activities should be “effectively policed” by the BBC’s future regulator to ensure that there is no damaging impact on independent news providers, with partnership playing a central role, the BBC Trust has recommended.   In a report...

SNP leader in Westminster  Angus Robertson has said he wants to build “a good working relationship” with English local press as the party seeks to expand its influence beyond Scottish-only issues. On the day of the vote on Sunday trading...

The IMPRESS application to the Press Recognition Panel fails to meet most of the key recognition criteria set down in the Royal Charter. It is unrepresentative of the press as a whole, it relies for its funding on a...

The draft investigatory powers legislation contains insufficient safeguards for journalists and freedom of expression and must be reconsidered without delay, the News Media Association has said today. The NMA called on the Government to change the Draft Investigatory Powers Bill...