Scottish ministers set to vote on plans to let councils drop newspaper ads

Scottish ministers are under intense pressure to drop plans to allow councils to shift all their public notices online, after opposition parties warned it could destroy the local newspaper industry and damage local democracy. The Scottish Labour party is expected to win a vote in the Scottish parliament today opposing proposals by John Swinney, the Scottish finance secretary, to lift the legal duty on local councils and other public bodies to publish statutory and public notices in the press. Swinney claims the measure would save £6m for local authorities, which are facing swingeing budget cuts and searching for savings across their services. He has yet to table the necessary statutory instrument in Holyrood where it is now expected to be voted down by a large margin. Scotland's 32 local councils have already shifted a large majority of their job adverts onto a central website, cutting the total number of job adverts placed in newspapers by 20%. Newspaper publishers and the National Union of Journalists argue this contributed to more than 120 editorial job losses last year in Scotland. Pauline McNeill, the Labour MSP, said the latest measure was dangerous because it would exclude several million Scots without home internet access, and further undermine the viability of local papers. "The SNP's plan is deeply undemocratic because large numbers of people don't have access to the internet and there is a real danger that it will lead to important decisions being taken without proper scrutiny," McNeill said. "If the Finance Secretary John Swinney doesn't change his mind he will also take vital revenue away from local newspapers, which are already facing significant challenges because of the recession. "Local councils have a duty to ensure that communities are properly informed about important decisions and we need to protect good local journalism." McNeill's motion is expected to be supported by the Liberal Democrats and the Tories today, putting Swinney's minority government under intense pressure to drop the measure. Pete Murray, the president of the National Union of Journalists, and Donald Martin, the president of the UK Society of Editors, and the outgoing editor-in-chief at the Herald group of papers in Glasgow, will meet MSPs to discuss the public information notices issue and wider issues facing the newspaper industry. Iain Smith, the Lib Dem culture spokesman, said: "In the past the SNP have pledged their commitment to local newspapers but now they plan to cut a valuable chunk of their income by removing public notices. "Local newspapers have always been a vital means of communicating with the public. They serve a unique role in communities, especially rural and remote ones. "The public are unlikely to stumble across a relevant public notice on the internet. The Scottish Government should commit to ensuring their continuation." The Scotland Office, which opposes Swinney's proposals, said last year that industry estimates showed that only 60% of Scots had home broadband; a figure which fell to 39% in Glasgow. A large majority of pensioners and those on benefits were without home broadband, while many rural areas had poor connections. The Scottish affairs select committee also criticised the plans, and cited industry estimates that public notices – which include warnings of road works, planning notices and changes to rubbish collections – were worth £10m to the newspaper industry, which is struggling for survival. Labour did not oppose the councils' decision to drop job adverts in newspapers last year. A party spokesman said there was a clear difference with public notices, where the burden was on councils to alert the local community rather than residents to seek out notices. "The onus is on the local authority to actively go out and make sure that those who would be affected by a development are informed about it," he said. • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email [email protected] or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. • If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".