My hon. Friend, who chairs the Select Committee, is right. I think that there is often a complementarity between the newspapers, news sheets and magazines published by councils and other local papers. There is often a considerable spin-off in the form of the relationship between the communications that councils promote through their papers about local events and community organisations, and how vibrant local newspapers are able to become in terms of, for example, the advertising revenue that they can create in relation to such community events and activities.
The Minister has claimed that the advertising in the Nene Valley News is the problem. First, it is not included in the code; secondly, I would gladly facilitate a meeting between the Minister and the local small businesses and traders who use the low-cost space in the Nene Valley News, and who are now extremely worried about how they will get business. I quoted one individual at length in Committee, but for brevity I shall merely say now that he concluded his remarks to me on this matter by saying, “Aren’t the Tories supposed to be a party that likes business?” He is very sceptical about the motivation for, and is concerned about the effect of, this crass, uninformed and undemocratic clause.
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The clause will damage local democracy, because it will mean that local councils are not as able to inform and engage the public in their work. It will also damage community groups, scout organisations, local charitable organisations, small businesses and the food banks which, sadly, are needed in our communities, as they will not be able to publicise their activities through the local free sheet—through the local council. Many of my constituents have contacted me to tell me that they object to what the Government are doing. I hope that all hon. Members will want to support our sensible amendments, which are supported by the Local Government Association, and I urge the Minister to accept them. We have not sought to strike out clause 39 completely, although we question why it is necessary and argue that the Government should have taken action previously in relation to the code.
Amendment 14 seeks to make things more proportionate. Either the Secretary of State wants all councils to abide by the code or he wants to be selective. I am told that he wants to be selective, which makes me even more concerned. Amendment 15 seeks to delete the astonishing new subsection that sees the Secretary of State attempt to
take editorial powers over all local government publications. The words in the Bill leap off the page, because it says he will take this power
“whether or not the Secretary of State thinks that the authority is complying with the code”.
The amendment would require the Secretary of State to publish evidence of a breach of the code.