SNP SHOULD DROP PROPOSALS TO CUT PUBLIC NOTICES FROM NEWSPAPERS - SMITH

12.00.00am GMT Thu 28th Jan 2010

North East Fife's MSP and Liberal Democrat Culture Spokesperson Iain Smith stood up for local newspapers in a debate at the Scottish Parliament this morning.

Mr Smith was speaking against plans by the SNP Government to remove public notices from newspapers that would not only make it more difficult for valuable information to be made available to the public but also cuts a valuable source of income for local papers.

Commenting after speaking in the debate Iain Smith said:

"SNP Ministers plan to cut a huge chunk of the income of local papers by removing public notices from them.

"The purpose of a public notice is that it is something the public will notice. The public are unlikely to stumble across a relevant notice on the internet. People do not browse the internet like they turn the pages of a newspaper.

"This will sound the death knell for many papers in remote and rural communities across Scotland.

"Daily titles like the Courier play an important role in reflecting national and local issues relevant to the communities they serve and in rural communities throughout Scotland, weekly newspapers, such as the Fife Herald, St Andrews Citizen and East Fife Mail that serve my constituency, are an essential source of community news and information. They are also central to the democratic process.

"It is often only through the pages of local newspapers that there is any debate about how a local council is performing. It can also be the only place where community views on local planning issues are aired.

"If these proposals go ahead there will be no local press to scrutinise anything.

"The SNP should drop this ill thought out proposal."