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Today the Gazette joins forces with the Chronicle, Journal and other local newspapers across the country to inform readers about worrying new Government plans that affect the public's ability to know about important changes in the communities where they live.
Ministers have launched a consultation on licensing reform in England and Wales which includes a proposal to scrap laws requiring alcohol licensing notices to be advertised in printed local newspapers.
What this would mean, if enacted, is that plans to open a new pub or nightclub, or for an existing venue to change its opening hours, would no longer be publicised within local communities. There's no guarantee, if this went ahead, that someone would find out a pub on their street wanted to extend its opening until the early hours of the morning until it actually happened.
Such a move would shroud our local communities across the North East in secrecy, removing the ability for the public easily to know about, understand, question and challenge licensing proposals affecting their daily lives, whether that's in terms of house prices, noise, community safety or the local economy.
Read more:Why trusted North East journalism matters more than ever this World News Day
Don't get us wrong: it is very welcome that the Government is considering ways to support the hospitality industry, which has suffered body blow after blow in a five-year period that's taken in a global pandemic and a rise in the employer's National Insurance costs, to name just two factors that have directly impacted their revenue.
But dressing up the removal of licensing application notices from local newspapers as a necessary cut to bureaucratic red tape completely ignores the fact that public notices are a vital part of the infrastructure of our country and of keeping communities fairly informed.
Like pubs, bars and restaurants, local media has worked very hard to be resilient and adaptable in the face of economic challenges and changing technology. We now reach more readers than ever, through websites like Teesside Live and ChronicleLive as well as our portfolio of digital newsletters, social media channels and podcasts. We know technology is constantly evolving and that many of our readers now prefer to access news and vital civic information online - which is why public notices are also published online through the Public Notices Portal.
But our printed papers continue to fulfil a vital community role in providing trusted, independent local journalism in the public interest for readers who prefer not to - or can't - use digital technology. These readers must not lose their right to access public notices which inform them about changes that directly affect their streets and communities.
A consultation on the proposals was launched on 9 October by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Business Secretary Peter Kyle, and will run only until 6 November. The local media sector is united in being alarmed by these plans, which we believe amount to a direct attack on the public's right to know - something we exist to champion and have done ever since The Journal, the oldest paper in our region, was founded in 1832.
The government's Licensing Taskforce - which made the initial recommendation to scrap alcohol licensing notices in local papers - was set up to review the Licensing Act 2003. The taskforce was overwhelmingly made up of representatives from the hospitality and night-time industries, with media not represented in the group.
And yet, independent research from OnePoll shows that local news media remains the primary source used by the public to access public notices, ahead of other sources such as social media, local authority websites, search engines, and printed mailouts.
The News Media Association (NMA) represents local, regional and national news publishers, including our papers here in the North East. Its chairman Danny Cammiade said: "Local news media in print and digital provide a highly trusted and independent environment for public notices to appear in, with local journalists often reporting on the content of the notices.
That's certainly true across the Teesside. Every day we publish around 30 stories online and in our printed paper informing you about everything happening around the area, from breaking news to what's happening in our courts to many, many stories about pubs opening, being refurbished, winning awards or making changes to their amenities.
We work hard to support the local hospitality trade, whether that's through the dedicated page on Teesside Live showing all our stories about local pubs or our regular lists of everything great to do on Teesside. Just last month, we reported on the eight pubs in and around Teesside added to the Good Beer Guide for 2026.
Mr Cammiade continued: "Developed with funding and expertise from Google, the industry's Public Notice Portal has increased the reach of public notices online, with the print requirement remaining essential for ensuring those who cannot, or prefer not to, use digital technology can access the notices.
"Removing alcohol licensing notices from local papers would undermine this work and leave local communities shrouded in secrecy. Ministers must change course and abandon this misguided plan."
At the same time as the licensing reforms, a provision in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill would remove the legal requirement for notices publicising changes to local authority governance arrangements to be published in local papers. This would strip communities of the right to know about sweeping changes to local councils - just as the government embarks upon the most dramatic reform of local government in 50 years.
NMA chief executive Owen Meredith said: "Pubs and local papers go hand in hand. They are community hubs, rooted in place, fostering connection, and acting as a glue that binds neighbourhoods together.
"The government's misguided proposals to remove public notices from local papers amount to a highly damaging attack on the public right to know. For the sake of our local communities, Ministers must immediately change course and commit to keeping public notices in highly trusted local newspapers."