Labour In The Scottish Parliament Claim Victory For Local Newspapers

Wendy Alexander MSP claims victory for local newspapers after the Scottish Government announced a climbdown over its undemocratic proposals to allow local councils to put public notices online.

Labour’s campaign won overwhelmingly supported from MSPs, who backed a motion calling “on the Scottish Government to withdraw the Local Authority Public Information Notices (Electronic Publication) (Scotland) Order 2010.”

Wendy said:

“This decision is a victory for democracy and a humiliating climbdown for the Scottish Government. John Swinney’s proposals to allow local councils to put public notices online instead of in newspapers were undemocratic and I am glad that they have now been dropped.

“Large numbers of people in Scotland don’t have access to the internet and there is a real danger that putting public notices online would have led to important decisions being taken without proper scrutiny.”

“The Scottish Government’s proposals would have taken vital revenue away from local newspapers, like the Paisley Daily Express and the Gazette, which are already facing significant challenges because of the recession.”