The UK Government is making funding available to local news outlets in grants of up to £125,000 as part of the recently announced Local Media Action Plan backed by total funding of £12 million.
There is no money available to news organisations in Scotland until year two, but the important point is that the government has recognised the importance of local news. By supporting local news outlets such as The Edinburgh Reporter and our colleagues in ICNN to innovate, the UK Government says it is sustaining the national conversation as well as local growth.
In the first year of Amplify: The Local Media Action Plan, £6 million will be paid out by March 2027 to ensure the sustainability and long term provision of high-quality local news. There is a bidding process which opens today.
The funding for the next year will be awarded to local news outlets who produce news in print, online, on TV or radio after a separate application is made. A maximum of £125,000 will be paid to a single organisation for tools and services, including apps or innovative use of multimedia channels.
The remainder of the Fund will be allocated through a separate bidding process and will be reserved to organisations developing infrastructure to benefit the industry as a whole with bids up to £275,000. Applications for this fund also open on Tuesday.
The government has recognised there are around 37 local authority areas in the UK which have no media presence which is unique to that area, meaning that up to 4.4 million people lare iving in areas of the UK where there is no local news.
In the second year £1 million will be dedicated to reviving a local news presence, and also in the second year up to £5 million will be available to support financial sustainability.
The Department of Culture Media and Sport have announced the way the plan will work on Tuesday and invites applications.
Media Minister, Ian Murray MP, said: “Local media is a cornerstone of our civic life and when it declines, communities lose access to accurate information, scrutiny of decision-makers and a vital local voice. That’s why we’re launching the Local News Fund – with up to £12 million available over the next two years, it marks an important step towards securing the future of local media across the UK.
“I encourage local news organisations, publishers and innovators to come forward with ambitious proposals that will help to strengthen local media for the long term, ensuring communities continue to benefit from high-quality, trusted local reporting.”
Polly Curtis, Co-Chair of the Local News Fund Steering Board, said: “Strong local news creates stronger communities. This £6 million fund is an investment in civic life, democracy and the trusted journalism that helps bring people together.
“We encourage everyone who is working in local news to put forward their most innovative ideas to help build shared resilience for the future for local journalism.”
Jeremy Clifford, Co-Chair of the Local News Fund Steering Board, said: “The local news industry has a track record of innovating and responding to the many challenges it has faced down the years. However, often those innovations fail to get off the ground because they cannot be funded.
“We strongly believe this fund can help to ignite that innovative thinking and be the catalyst for delivering some exciting and imaginative experiments.”
Laura Davison, NUJ General Secretary, said: “The NUJ welcomes the launch of the Local Media Fund. For many years the union has campaigned for government grants to preserve and bolster local journalism subject to appropriate safeguards.
“The Fund is recognition that the industry cannot be left to the vagaries of the market and that our members working in local news play a pivotal role in upholding social cohesion and democracy.”
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