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 resilience of local journalism; and what plans she has to provide support to help sustain local news providers.

Resilience of local journalism across the country is an area of particular concern for this Government, including in Stockton West and more broadly across County Durham. The Government understands the important work that local news providers do across the UK, including outlets such as The Darlington and Stockton Times and The Northern Echo. We are developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of sustaining this vital sector. Our vision is a thriving local media that can continue to play an invaluable role as a key channel of trustworthy information at local level, reporting on the issues that matter to communities, reflecting their contributions and perspectives, and helping to foster a self-confident nation in which everyone feels that their contribution is part of an inclusive national story.

We are working across Government and with other stakeholders as the Strategy develops. DCMS ministers held a roundtable discussion with local news editors in the spring to discuss the planned approach and collaboration with industry on the Strategy. An industry working group has since been set up to consider the issues in more detail and has been meeting regularly since June. More will be announced on the Strategy in the coming months.