Government backs local journalism with £6 million funding while careers campaign reaches thousands of youngsters
What was announced
50 local news providers awarded grants of up to £125,000 to support long-term sustainability and growth this Journalism Matters Week
Key points, in the publisher's words
- Fifty organisations are set to benefit from the government’s £6 million Local News Fund, helping to ensure people can continue to benefit from trusted, high-quality local journalism.
- With audiences moving online and consuming their news through an increasingly diverse range of sources, the role of local journalism has never been more important, especially as the Government seeks to devolve power to a local level , given its integral role in holding power to account and tackling mis- and disinformation online.
- Central to the Government’s ‘Amplify: The Local Media Action Plan’ , the Local News Fund aims to strengthen communities and social cohesion, rebuild social trust, and support local growth by supporting local journalism.
Figures in this announcement
Each line is quoted from the original. Figures are as the publisher stated them on the day.
- “The majority of funding has been awarded to local print and online news outlets and independent local TV and radio stations, who received grants of up to £125,000.”
- “The remainder of the Fund has been awarded to seven organisations, including software developers and major industry players, to develop infrastructure that can benefit the sector as a whole, with grants of up to £275,000 awarded.”
- “This initial six-month campaign focused on the North West, targeting schools in more deprived areas, with 79% having above national average free school meal eligibility, and the Government will seek to roll it out nationally subject to evaluation and funding.”
- “Partners in the project include Baylis Media, which publishes the Maidenhead Advertiser. £205,620 OCN Technology Ltd, trading as Open Council Network Expansion of an existing tool, currently used by 35 Local Democracy Reporters working at Reach titles, to cover all councils across England and Wales.”
- “An accompanying training programme will upskill journalists in using the tool. £183,836 Bylines Networks Limited Development of an independent technology stack to help community and hyperlocal publishers get discovered, build direct audience relationships and convert trust into sustainable support.”
- “Next year, £1 million from the Fund will be dedicated to tackling local ‘news deserts’, areas that have no dedicated local print, online, TV or radio outlet, in collaboration with key community stakeholders and the Fund’s Steering Board.”
Who and where
People
- Ian Murray (MP for Edinburgh South (Labour)) · more news
UK bodies of power
- Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (UK government department) · more news
Constituencies of the MPs named: Edinburgh South.
Where this sits in the 10 levels of power
Topics, as GOV.UK files them: Media and creative industries.
Receipt
- Original: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-backs-local-journalism-with-6-million-funding-while-careers-campaign-reaches-thousands-of-youngsters
- Published 2026-11-05 00:01:02 UTC
- Read by this site 2026-11-05 00:15:45 UTC from GOV.UK
- Saved copy: receipt 8317, with its SHA-256 fingerprint
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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