Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the research commissioned by her Department from Plum Consulting, entitled Research into recent dynamics of the press sector in the UK and globally, published in May 2020, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the findings of that research on the impact of the decline of local press on the scrutiny of democratic functions.

Newspapers play an invaluable role in the fabric of our society. They remain uniquely placed to undertake the investigative journalism and scrutiny of public institutions, including local councils and our courts, that is vital to helping ensure a healthy democracy both nationally and at a local level.

The government commissioned Plum Consulting’s research to better understand the link between newspapers and democratic engagement, alongside wider sector trends, in doing so supporting policy development to ensure the sustainability of the sector. The findings of the research confirm the importance of a free press to our democracy, drawing a direct correlation between local newspaper provision and electoral turnout. It also provided a snapshot of which areas have strong or poor coverage from local newspapers.