PRESS RELEASE

Tuesday December 22nd

Council ad damage

Greenock and Inverclyde MSP Duncan McNeil insists new plans for council advertising could be damaging to democracy.

Mr McNeil has hit out at proposals to allow local authorities to advertise public notices online in a money saving exercise.

The MSP believes this move will damage local newspapers and limit people’s awareness of temporary road closures and compulsory purchase orders, particularly the elderly.

He said: "Local newspapers are a vital means of communication with the public and most people look to papers like the Greenock Telegraph for public notices.

"A recent study by Ofcom show that only four per cent of the UK use the internet as their main source of local news compared with 24 per cent using local papers.

"Aswell as taking vital revenue away from local newspapers at a time when we should be supporting the industry during challenging times, it will restrict people's awareness of what is going on in their communities.

“Both of these scenarios damage democracy and I would urge the Scottish Government to think carefully about the consequences of these plans."

Scotland’s councils currently spend around £6 million a year advertising notices as diverse as temporary road closures to compulsory purchase orders, which they are legally required to do.

The Scottish Government is currently consulting on alternative advertising for public notices and this will run until February 12.

Anyone wishing to take part in the consultation can do so here:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/12/PINconsultation