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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of allowing license applications, such as planning applications, to be published in online newspapers.

The Government committed to a review of statutory notices as part of the response to recommendations made by the Licensing policy taskforce in July 2025, including in relation to alcohol licence notices. The review is being taken forward as part of the Local Media Strategy to support local journalism.

We recognise that local press and statutory notices, including those relating to planning applications, continue to play a central role in keeping communities informed about decisions that affect local services and amenities. The industry’s Public Notice Portal is a welcome innovation, taking advantage of print publishers’ growing digital audiences and providing a centralised resource for all types of public notice. We welcome the Portal's expansion to include archive and consultation functions, helping public bodies and commercial entities engage with the public more effectively. DCMS is monitoring the progress of the Portal and the effect that it has on the audience reach of statutory notices and overall public engagement.

This type of industry innovation and collaboration is integral to securing the sector’s future and will be taken into account in the statutory notices review. The review will more broadly consider the potential merits of making changes to existing requirements to place statutory notices, including planning applications, in print local newspapers, as well as any potential role for online newspapers. More detail will be announced in due course, including timescales of the review and the wider Local Media Strategy.